


The Catalyst of War

by TonyGrayson



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Alpha Jason Todd, Alpha Slade Wilson, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, I try to keep them on character but I am no expert, It's all about Dick Grayson, M/M, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Not Canon Compliant, Omega Dick Grayson, One sided Dick Grayson/Slade Wilson, Possessive Slade, Though I try to keep some or other similarities, Violence, other mentioned/implied relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-17 23:08:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 25
Words: 41,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21651259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TonyGrayson/pseuds/TonyGrayson
Summary: One day, the Grand Duke of Gotham, Bruce Thomas Wayne, takes in Dick Grayson, a commoner, as his ward.The Duchess, Talia al Ghul Wayne, warns her husband the child will bring nothing but chaos into their lives.-A/B/O and kinda made up early modern (pos-medieval) period AU
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson/Jason Todd, Dick Grayson/Slade Wilson
Comments: 231
Kudos: 485





	1. Talia - El Dynasty, Year 36

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first time writing a story (fanfic or original). Hope there aren't many plot holes :P 
> 
> Please also consider that English is not my first language nor my field of study, and although I do try to look out for typos and grammatical errors, the writing may feel kind of basic, I don't know. I always have been terrible at evaluating my own work. 
> 
> Please, do let me know if you find anything confusing. 
> 
> I already have some chapters written. I will try to post them one per week, so I have time to write new ones. I have the outline of the entire story, though.
> 
> IMPORTANT NOTE!  
> Please heed the tags! I will be updating them as I write more chapters. If you believe some are missing, please do tell!
> 
> Hope you have fun!

Talia should have known better than to believe everything would go smoothly from then on. Marrying her beloved took hard work and left her in great debt to her father. She knew it would not be easy though. Her husband had never shown her cold indifference, but she noticed that any form of affection came from a sense of duty and politeness, and, perhaps, a certain level of guilt - she hoped it was not pity - for not sharing the same feelings as her. But she accepted it. She knew, from the beginning, it would be like so. 

Hope was born when Damian came to the world. Bruce's love for the child propagated to her, and for the first time she believed his affectionate smiles towards her were genuine.

"He is perfect, my dear! Thank you!" The repeated words were so heartfelt she did start to believe it would only improve. She should have known better.

Talia cursed the day her beloved came from one of his official travels to the neighbor lands, as soon as the child stepped down the carriage after Bruce. He had written beforehand, so she knew about the kid he decided to take in as a ward. She did not know why would the Grand Duke of Gotham need a ward when he had an heir already, nor why the mystery around the child's origin, and that had left her a bit suspicious. Still, Bruce had assured her they did not share any blood ties, knowing she could feel her own son's inheritance would be threatened even by a bastard offspring. For that, Talia was relaxed until the moment she saw the boy. It was not the thick raven hair together with the bright blue pair of eyes matching the Grand Duke's at his side that set off alarm bells and brought her a new kind of anxiety. The child was just that, a child who hadn't even presented yet, but there was no need for that, because Talia already could tell he was a Supreme Omega in the making. If his exceptional beauty wasn't indication enough, the fact he already had a distinctive sweet scent, even if almost faint, said it all. Talia wanted to believe her beloved did not have any ulterior motives with bringing a Supreme Omega to be under his wing. At least none that would undermine her position, since she was a regular omega. Whatever the case, the kid was trouble and she had to make sure her husband knew that.

"You know he is a Supreme Omega, right?" Talia asked, while entering into her husband's study, keeping a neutral tone, to avoid passing the idea she had any kind of hostility towards said omega.

"He is at least two years away from presenting," Bruce replied initially implying it was not possible to know the child's primary gender. "But you are right," he sighed, "there is little chance Dick will not reveal to be a Supreme Omega."

"Dick?" Talia raised her brow, a little concerned at the quick familiarity from Bruce towards the kid.

"That is how he has always been addressed as. If that is one of the few things he can have from his life with his parents, then I will help him keep it." Bruce also maintained a calm and neutral tone to his voice, while looking as if he was busy with the documents at his desk.

"And who are his parents, anyway? Your letter informed me next to nothing about how this situation came to be." That was it, she thought. The chance to clear all the mystery around the recently acquired ward.

"They were but common folk, you would not know of them. Traveling performers who happened to be from the group of the entertainers Lord Williams hired while I was there," Bruce paused for a moment. "They were murdered the same night they performed for us. Something about a dispute between the groups leader and a notorious group of thugs that had been creating some trouble in Arkham."

"That is unfortunate," Talia tried to sound sympathetic, not to show the story did not affect her. As the former princess of Nanda Parbat, a small but powerful kingdom, well known for their mighty warriors and, more secretly, their assassins, she was raised as both warrior and assassin, thus murder and death was not a subject that filled her with shock. "But why bring the child with you? Surely there were others who could take him in. Other people with whom he would be more comfortable and familiar with."

"Because I also suspected he is a Supreme Omega," he finally conceded and looked at her.

Talia froze.

"You know what that means. That is why you came to talk to me, was it not? Truth be told, I was going to ask for him to his parents. Explain their situation and how dangerous it was for Dick to be without protection. The moment he presented, he would be snatched away," Bruce tried not to spat the last sentence.

"Like many ordinary omegas among peasants."

"My dear, you know Supreme Omegas are seen as valuable in our kingdom. They are the rarest caste and an effort has been put to keep them among the higher ranks of nobility. It is my duty to take him in since I spotted him. Something similar is even done with Supreme Alphas. Many are given Lordships or high places in the military after proper training."

"I see," Talia was not entirely convinced, "In that case, I suggest you find him someone to bond with as soon as he is presented. I am sure there will be plenty of suitors, though my advice is for you to not publicize much. Unbonded Supreme Omegas are nothing but trouble to their guardians."

Bruce just hummed at those words, while looking back to the documents on his desk. Talia took it as an agreement.

***

As foreseen, two years later, the kid presented as a Supreme Omega at fourteen years old. 

When several months passed without Bruce bonding him to someone, Talia started to despair. Had they not agree it was to be done as soon as possible? Apparently not. But why? 

"Why?" She cornered her husband in his room one night.

"Excuse me?" Bruce asked with a faint show of confusion and perhaps concern.

"Why do you still keep him? Did we not agree he should be bonded as soon as he presented?" Talia clarified.

"I did not agree to such thing. _Dick_ is still a child and needs time to decide. Only when he comes of age will I let him bond with whomever he wants. As long as the other party is also interested, naturally."

"You must be joking!" She said, completely baffled, "I cannot have heard this right... you are going to let a Supreme Omega choose his partner?"

"If this is about the old ways then do not forget that, originally, omegas would be the ones choosing their alphas among the interested ones. Alphas would have to prove themselves worthy of the omega first," Bruce pointed out.

"You know that is not what I meant!"

"You meant we should instead use him for political purposes, I understand. But even then he is too youn-"

"No! I meant he is nothing but trouble if he stays unbonded," she yelled, "wars have been started for the rightful claiming of Supreme Omegas. As you put it yourself, alphas feel the need to prove themselves to the omegas they want to claim. Supreme Alphas will go to great lengths for that. While you play the benevolent Lord, the emancipator of the poor omegas, you put your people, your family at risk. I will-"

"Dick will only debut at his coming of age, like it is expected, so there will be no chance of a Supreme Alpha wanting to claim him before that," Bruce interrupted, "And after that, he will be only among the nobility of our kingdom," he continued.

"Y-you really believe that is enough? Are you that naive to believe there will be no internal conflicts? I believed you were smarter than that! There might be no war, it is true, but one Supreme Alpha might think the only thing in the way of their Supreme Omega is the Grand Duke and his family," she said, her patience almost lost. "So many things can happen to traveling Lords. The roads can be so dangerous, can they not? So many accidents have claimed the lives of Ladies and Lords inside their own walls..."

"I understand your concern," her husband sighed, taking a hand to his temple, with a softness to his voice, "but you do not have to worry. I am working on a way to avoid all that."

"You are such a hypocrite," she hissed, "you yourself had a political marriage, why do you suddenly act like it is a sin? Why do you fight it so-" she paused as something inside her clicked, "No... don't tell me... are you doing all this, because you want him for yourself?"

"What?" Bruce growled. He actually growled, for the first time in Talia's presence, making her, the former princess of Nanda Parbat, shiver for a moment.

"What else could it be then?" she tried to keep her voice firm.

Bruce frowned and directed his glare to her, "Do not insult me. Dick is my child, my responsibility. The same way you are my wife and I have responsibilities to you. Even though our marriage is political, I have been nothing but respectful and faithful. I chose to marry you, the same way you chose to marry me, and I live by that decision. It was our choice and no one else's. If Dick decides to marry for political reasons, he is free to do so, but I will not demand it. Do not dare assume I have ulterior motives," he paused, and tried to calm himself, his anger no longer strong in his scent, "You do not need to feel insecure because of Dick, nor anyone for that matter."

Talia also made herself calm down, and tried to thread carefully with her next words, "You say that, but the truth his you never loved me. And you cannot expect me to believe that you would be incapable of loving someone else."

"Although I cannot claim it is impossible to go through life without loving someone, it is true that does not apply to me", Bruce admitted through crushing words and a gentle voice, "but even so, my duty to you is stronger and you should never fear the day it will not be so," he said with finality. He went to her and gently put his hands on her shoulders. With a soft smile he told her she should go to sleep, for it was late, and not to worry since he would do everything to protect his family. Every member of it.

Leaving the room, Talia felt the extreme conflict inside her. She believed her beloved. At least, she wanted to. But she also believed he was not taking the matter seriously enough. Why would he? Although many came to fear the Grand Duke more than the King himself, truth was Bruce was a very compassionate Lord. He did not believe in Capital punishment, for God's sake. People should be punished, yes, but also rehabilitated, he would say. But she knew better. This time, she would not let her guard down with baseless optimism. She would have to get rid of the omega herself.

***

Talia had to plan it very carefully. Her beloved was a very clever man and he would know she would be behind it if she was not cautious enough, and then all would have been for nothing. In conclusion, whether it would pass as an accident or assassination, she could not be associated with it. The kid was an unbelievably acrobat freak, so she first thought about making it seem like he took a wrong step during one of those times he would be behaving like a monkey around the castle. But, then again, he was so amazingly good at it no one would believe he could actually hurt himself. For that same reason, many other types of "accidents" would be also off limits. As for assassination, she would need to find a good scapegoat and a reason for it. Who would want the kid dead, except for her? Everyone seemed completely bewitched by him. Sure, he was frustratingly charming and thoughtful, even to the nameless servants of the castle. God only knows what she felt when she caught him hanging around Damian two years before, teaching her child his nonsense games. She had to made herself very clear to him that he was not to be around Damian ever again. As if she would let her son grow up as the buffoon he was. The little devil at least had the decency of looking afraid of her.

Again, getting rid of the omega would be no simple task. She could play the accident card, if the accident did not happen exactly to him, but someone around him. Knowing the kid, he would definitely put himself in danger to avoid something to happen to someone else. Yes, that was it. If he ended up killing himself due to his recklessness, then no one could blame her. Talia, having already been studying the little monkey for months whenever she could put her eyes on him, for he could be a sneaky little monster, decided to take advantage of his little plays in the gardens with the children, the little spawns of the staff. Children were reckless, and these imps were probably the most dispensable around there. She remembered the stories of the old well her beloved fell victim once before. They had it closed with strong planks of wood. But wood is strong until it isn't, right? So many years have passed since then, so many harsh winters with their rains and snows. And everyone knew what water could do to wood.

Talia prepared everything herself, not trusting anyone with her plan. The only person who knew she wanted to dispose of the omega was her father with whom she kept in touch through letters. She never told him the kid was a Supreme Omega. Heavens forbid if her father also got interested and ending up doing something as stupid as kidnapping the kid for himself. The letters were encoded, naturally. Never trust the hands that composed the channel of communication. 

She only had to wait. She hoped the second planks would take the unfortunate child's impact and not the extra weight of an almost full grown teenager. Surely not even he could survive what laid bellow.

The wait was not long, though. A few days after, Talia almost let her excitement emanate through her scent when she heard the screaming. She had to pretend she was somewhat worried. Running towards the sounds of distress, she found herself not needing to pretend anymore. The servants were trying to keep her away. They would get little Damian to safety, they guaranteed, as her intended victim prepared to go down. _No!_ She could not let him do that. The fake floor was meant to give up when the teen landed on it, and as she expected, the stupid child was going to jump inside without using a rope. She yelled at him to stay away as she picked up the rope one of the servants was holding. The kid tried to plead with her, saying it was too dangerous and he would be careful enough. She didn't listen, tied the rope around her and started to carefully descend the well herself. Damian was very still and not crying. _Good boy_ , she thought proudly. Talia finally managed to get close enough to grab the four year old, who was too scared and clung to her as soon as he felt safe to do so. The abrupt movement made the idiot or idiots who where holding the rope slip their hands and after that everything went really fast and slow at the same time. She didn't know when the omega kid also came down the well, but he was there, grabbing Damian with one arm and trying to reach her with the other. She didn't have time to understand how and what he was holding on to. She just fell.

***

When Talia woke up, she saw Bruce. She could not understand where she was, she could not feel pain, cold, warmth nor anything at all. She could just see light and Bruce. 

She tried to speak. She did not know if she was actually doing it. She could not hear anything either. But she had to try. She had to let her husband know it was all his fault.

Then, she let herself fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not know how to use commas in English. If you have a secret formula, do share please! I promise I won't tell anyone!


	2. Dick - El Dynasty, Year 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thank you so much for all the kudos and comments. I knew you all were awesome, but I never expected so much attention right from the beginning. Thank you for giving this story a chance <3 I hope I can keep it interesting for you.
> 
> Now about the story. I will be jumping from past to present, from chapter to chapter (probably stopping doing so when the past catches up with the present). Everything happening from year 47 is considered the present. I hope it is not too confusing. I will try my best to at least keep both past and present ordered in a linear way. If this bothers you, I guess you can always choose the order for reading it (the original order; first past, then present; first present, then past; completely random, 'cos why not? I wouldn't though... :P)

Dick didn't know how to react to the news. Shock was what he was evidently expressing. _Oh my God! Bruce has fallen in battle? W-what? What does that mean? He's - no, that is total nonsense. As if anyone could ever take the big stubborn man down. They must be talking about another Bruce... But how many Grand Dukes of Gotham named Bruce Thomas Wayne could there be? Oh God, Bruce! No! Calm down, you must know every detail. The message says fallen, not dead. Though usually that is was fallen means in this context... Stop! Just stop!_ Dick must have been in a catatonic state for some very long minutes before he came back to reality, to the scents of despair and anger, shouts and snarls, silent cries and whimpers. "Please read it again."

"You should burn that pretentious thing, not utter it again!" Damian barked.

"Please keep silent, Damian," Dick requested trying to keep a grave and sure tone. Damian acquiesced.

Alfred, the chamberlain, re-read the letter delivered to his brother, Tim, who couldn't even voice the entire first sentence.

"I hereby inform the current regent of the Gotham Duchy, Lord Timothy Jackson Drake Wayne, that its former Grand Duke, Lord Bruce Thomas Wayne, has fallen at the Battle of the Stars. As the soon-to-be crowned King of the Americas, I hereby demand the surrender of Gotham to the appointed Lord that shall arrive at its city, in the near future. No harm shall fall to the regent and their family, should my requirements be met. 

Marquess of York County, future King of the Americas,   
Lord Alexander Joseph Luthor"

Silence fell among the four people in the room.

"I-I need to make an e-estimate of h-how long it will take t-to get here from Star County. W-when was that message sent?" Tim asked, with his voice trembling from the effort he was doing not to cry.

"Is that what you are worried about, Drake?" Damian spat. "Are you that much of a coward you are already fearing the nameless 'Lord' that delusional impostor dispatched?" 

"Damian," Dick warned.

"What, Grayson?" he started yelling, "Who the hell cares about what that Luthor bastard whines about, right now? Is that the most important piece of information you all took from that message?"

Dick understood. The kid was angry and desperate. He just learned about his father's supposed death, that he was now also an orphan. And it's not like Tim was unaffected. God knows how the probable beta was still holding himself and trying to keep rational thinking. But the boy was the appointed regent from when Bruce was absent, and he felt the need to prove he was apt to do it.

Damian continued yelling and gesturing and Dick went to him, lowered himself while trying to convey comfort through his scent and gently hugged him. Damian struggled for a while, but he kept holding him until the just turned teen started to let himself be pacified. Soft sobs could be heard as Dick stroked his hair and softly whispered soothing words. When Damian pushed again, Dick let go. 

"We should discuss and prepare ourselves for what will happen next. Meanwhile, we need to get more information of what went down in the battle," Dick said while being careful with his next words. "I find the way the Marquess announced Bruce's death suspicious. For what I know, Luthor is a very arrogant and conceited man. The lack of boasting about the feat of killing the second most powerful man in the kingdom, who is also considered the strongest, toughest and most intelligent, is indeed questionable," he concluded.

"Then, do you think father is alive?" Damian eyes started opening widely.

"I am trying to say that it is too soon to draw any conclusions. But we must still be prepared for the worst. And for what is still to come. If Luthor is lying, we must know why. Was Bruce captured? Was he last seen gravely injured and is presumed dead? Is he simply MIA? Whatever that may be, we must do everything to find him," Dick paused, preparing himself for what would come next, "But whether Luthor is lying or telling the truth, we must assume that the part he wrote about the Lord he sent to take Gotham is true."

"You are right," Tim finally joined, "it's very unlikely that Luthor would let pass the opportunity to boast about this. But at the same time, it could be just a strategy to give us hope, for some reason I cannot imagine. It would depend on how much of his ego he would be able to hold back," he assumed. "As for the Lord he sent, as I said, we must know how long it would take him to reach here. We should assume he's bringing a good number soldiers with him, in case we decide to ignore Luthor's demands and fight back, so that should take them more time than a small group would. Still we also need to have an idea of how long it has passed since this message was sent. Since Star County is very far and it arrived by bird, there's a chance we still have some time to prepare for the fight and-"

"Woah, woah," Dick interrupted. "What fight?"

"What do you mean what fight, Richard? We still have soldiers in Gotham that are here for the very purpose of defending this land," Damian said.

"Indeed, that is their purpose, but only from smaller attacks, or with the assumption it's possible to hold the county until we get backup. The army coming our way isn't likely to be small, and our backup is gone, though. The only thing fighting back will do is getting all of our soldiers killed, along with the civilians who might take the invasion as a threat to their own families and resist Luthor's men. And then when they arrive to the castle, they wouldn't have to think of an excuse to kill the late Grand Duke's heirs."

"I agree that fighting back will only delay the inevitable, with a higher cost associated," Tim agreed. "But I don't think they would need to come up with a good excuse to kill us even if we open the gates and invite them in. We, as Bruce's heirs, will always be a threat to them while we are alive," he sighed. "Except for you, of course. You would be forced to marry some higher up on their side, as the Supreme Omega you are. Perhaps this Lord Luthor sent, or even Luthor himself, considering his previous interest and that he is still not bonded."

"Please don't remind me," Dick shuddered.

"What do you mean with previous interest, Drake?" Damian frowned.

"Nothing much, we never even actually met", Dick shrugged.

"Once, King Clark came to Gotham with Luthor," Tim explained. "This was after his demotion to Marquess. Luthor came with the pretext he wanted to re-establish the trust with the main counties and could only do so personally. Turns out he might have just wanted an excuse to meet the Supreme Omega hidden away in the Grand Duke's castle."

"What? When was that? Why would the King tell that traitor about Richard?" Damian's scent was giving a hint of anger. He probably felt some sort of betrayal. He and the King's son, Prince Jon, were basically best friends, although Damian would never admit it, and he also had a great respect for the King himself, which he would also refuse to admit.

"King Clark assured Bruce he did not tell Luthor about Dick. He must have gotten the information from his spies, which should have been indication enough he should not be trusted again," Tim said.

"The King is a fool, I have always pointed that."

"Anyway", Dick interrupted. "What happened, happened. Now we need to think about our options and plan accordingly."

As both teens agreed and seemed to be calming down and focusing, Alfred let them be reminded he had been there the whole time, "I shall send for some tea and scones. No good plans can come from empty stomachs."

"Thank you, Alfred," Dick sighed with some exhaustion finally revealing itself.

"Meanwhile, I will make sure to pass on the word to stay alert about any news surrounding the events of the battle and of the party coming our way," Alfred finished as he exited the door.

_Thank God for old betas,_ Dick thought fondly. There were going to be some long and stressful days ahead. Dick could only hope they could agree with a plan without too much fight between them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know the MIA/presumed dead Bruce is not new, but I need it for my story to work :P
> 
> I will be "renaming" some locations, specially real country names to give them this idea of "kingdom" names. I am terrible at it though. I hope none are offensive.


	3. Bruce - El Dynasty, Year 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously: Bruce took Dick as a ward. Talia realized Dick was a Supreme Omega, a very rare caste, and tried to convince Bruce to bond Dick with some Lord as soon as possible, fearing the kid would bring trouble for them. As Bruce refused to do so, Talia decided to take the matter into her own hands and have Dick killed. Her plan backfired.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, back to past events. 
> 
> As suggested by @Fenir (thank you for that, btw!!!) I will be reminding you (for a few chapters) that I am switching from past to present to past, and so on, between chapters until the past catches up with the present.
> 
> I will also try to have a short summary of the previous chapter related to the current's time (meaning, not really of the previous chapter, but the one before that).
> 
> I also added new tags/fandoms. I will be updating them as I am writing.
> 
> Enjoy <3

Talia's last words were both heartbreaking and disquieting.

When Bruce arrived from Metropolis, they told him there was no hope for the Duchess and though she was holding on more than anticipated, he should not expect her to survive the night.

Bruce did not know what he should do, which was not a first, but close. Talia was one of the strongest people he knew. He was aware she was not the defenseless omega she tried to pass as. She was fierce, cunning and no doubt trained in the arts shared by the warriors at Nanda Parbat. He believed she would outlive him, and by many years. When he saw her there, lying broken in her bed, her chest rising with the difficulty translated in the sound of her breathing, and her now weakened natural scent mixed with the odor of a failing body, he knew he could not leave the room until after the end.

She held on all night, as if to spite the doctor who kept failing his diagnosis.

At the first rays of the morning sunlight, Bruce noticed the slight tremble of Talia's hand he was holding and, soon after, she slowly opened her eyes, as if it took great effort to do so. He spoke to her with a soothing voice, asking her if she could hear him. She just kept looking at him for a short while, or an eternity - Bruce could not really say - until she started moving her lips, trying to speak.

"...fault. It is... your fault," the words were barely whispers but cut through Bruce's heart nonetheless.

"you shou... should have ... rid of the omega," she kept sighing, "would not... do it myself... Da-Damian would be... safe."

It was only then Bruce understood. It was not that he was unaware that Talia held great hostility towards Dick. He had been somewhat worried Talia might envision herself doing something about him. Still, although he tried his best to keep an eye on the boy, he truly believed she would not genuinely try anything, since all suspicion would befall on her if anything happened to his son. But she did. She tried to have his son killed, and by doing so, she almost ended up killing her own child.

"D-Damian..."

"Damian is safe, Talia. Damian is safe," he tried to assure her. She did not seem she could hear him as she kept repeating the words "your fault" to him.

There was no point on feeling resentment towards her. She was right, it was his fault. He underestimated the lengths Talia would go to get rid of Dick. But he never though she would resort to endanger others just for the possibility of Dick getting himself killed. Her plan only backfired because she also underestimated his eldest son's dedication to others, including his baby brother. He knew that Talia had refused Dick from being with Damian, but he also knew Dick only pretended to obey her. It was not something hard to keep from her since she was not an ever present mother. Although Bruce was risking Talia's fury if Dick got caught, he believed his eldest was a good influence on his youngest. His mother was too stern with the child, and rarely allowed him to participate in fun activities normally acceptable for his age.

"fault... it..." Talia then closed her eyes as she fell into unconsciousness.

Her breathing stopped not long after.

***

Several weeks after, an emissary from Nanda Parbat arrived with a message from Ra's al Ghul. Ra's stated to strongly believe Bruce's "omega ward" was directly responsible for his daughter's death and demanded for either his execution or for him to be sent to his kingdom where he would get the same fate, or worse. Failing to comply would nullify the peace treaty between Nanda Parbat and the Americas, which was signed the same day of Bruce's and Talia's wedding. Talia clearly did not tell her father about Dick's real nature, or the demands would have been completely different.

As the protocol mandated, Bruce had to present this matter to the King himself. After guaranteeing Dick's safety while he was away, he set off to Metropolis, where he officially presented his case to the King and the rest of the council members who were able to attend. They all promptly agreed that the demands of the King Ra's al Ghul were to be refused. Bruce expected a little more resistance, or maybe some time for pondering. Only a few of the members knew about Dick's true designation yet still no one was interested in sacrificing a ward, they did not even know, to keep the peace between the two kingdoms. Clark had surrounded himself with good and honorable people. 

The King signed Bruce's official reply to Ra's where he stated many have witnessed the tragedy that have befallen his daughter, and that not only there was no leeway for his ward to cause the accident, but he was also the one who attempted to save her. And if his grandson, Damian, was alive, it was also due to his ward. Therefore, Ra's demands were to be denied. Both the King and the Grand Duke were still open to forgive Ra's ultimatum under the assumption it was written out of grief and denial, as long as the King of Nanda Parbat took it back with an apology.

From then on, Bruce would have to actively protect his eldest son, for he would certainly have a mark on his head. He had no illusions that Ra's would accept their terms. Hopefully, if any assassin came close enough, they would first discover his target to be a Supreme Omega and report to their king before doing anything else. He wondered if he should hint the monarch himself. Kidnapping was much harder and less permanent than assassinating. Whatever was to be, he knew he could not waste too long away from Gotham. Luckily the capital and his duchy were close. If he left that day he would arrive the by the next one.

He wished he would have arrived sooner. 

He was so focus on keeping Dick safe he did not consider Ra's could have set his eyes on his grandson. At least, not so soon. His ultimatum had, most likely, been a trick to get Bruce away not from Dick but from Damian. The nursemaids were crying nonstop and their scents filled with distress. It was fortunate they were not slain but the same could not be said to most guards that were responsible for Damian's safety that day. He was aghast. He sent search parties right away, even though Alfred had already sent a few. They could not have been far. Still, the Nanda Parbat agents were remarkably good, and left no trails to follow. 

***

A few months have passed when Bruce received news of Damian arriving at Nanda Parbat and he was both relieved and furious. He would have him back, no matter how long it would take. 

Meanwhile, he had taken in a new ward, a thirteen year old named Jason. The new kid would definitely present as an alpha. If he did not, Bruce would be extremely surprised. 

Jason was a local, an orphan from the streets. He was far from being the only one in the same situation, no matter the effort the Grand Duke took to avoid poverty among his people. But the teen caught his attention when he caught him, almost successfully, stealing from his carriage, one day. No one in their right mind would target his belongings inside his own lands, and would only try outside if they were oblivious of whom they would be stealing from. But Jason knew exactly who he was and that was the point. A Lord was to serve their people, the kid said, and it was not like a Grand Duke would miss a few trinkets. Bruce had wanted to laugh at that moment. Surely he would miss at least the carriage wheels. Seriously, what would the kid want with the wheels? His were not even gold-plated like some Lords liked to have theirs. The image of the kid carrying a huge wheel, almost bigger than him, made Bruce smile with amusement.

Bruce was very intrigued by Jason's spirit, and decided right then and there to propose him to become is ward, explaining him everything it entailed. That he could, technically, become an heir if Bruce did not get his son back, though he should not hope so. He could end up being a regent, before Damian's coming of age. If he presented as an alpha, he would be expected to train in the arts of war and eventually earn a high place in the military or, if he preferred, as a member of his Guard or even the King's. If he were to present as a beta, he would be advised to take a more of a scholar course, aiming more specifically towards knowledge that would make him a good advisor to the Grand Dukes he would serve. He could still opt for a military career, if he desired, though he should not expect to achieve the higher ranks. Not because being a beta meant he would not be apt to it, but because, as unfortunate as it was, society favored alphas for those positions. Finally, if he were to present as an omega - even though there was little chance of it - he would then have to make a choice. Bruce was against forcing political marriages on anyone, but not against the idea of political marriages by itself. Although Jason would not have many options for bonding, as a biological son would, he would, most likely, find a Lord interested in bonding with him, if and only if Jason desired it. Sadly there would not be many other paths for him to take, but he was not against letting him study the ways of scholars, even though he would never get an official title. That was basically Dick's situation.

Jason was suspicious, at first, of the tempting offer. He must have been wandering why him. But after some consideration and a bit of reluctance, he accepted.

"I want to be a warrior!" the kid said proudly.

"If you present as an alpha or a beta, you will be," Bruce replied.

"Pfft! I am an alpha!" Jason rolled his eyes and grinned.

"I am sure you are," Bruce agreed with a soft smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The year of the title is about the start of the chapter but sometimes several years might pass during the chapter, as you may have noticed.


	4. Dick - El Dynasty, Year 47

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously: Dick and his brothers received a message from Luthor stating that Bruce was dead and that he sent someone to claim Gotham.  
> They decided they needed a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, there! I know it's earlier than usual :P I already have a good number of chapters written so, from now on, if I manage to write more than one chapter in a week, I might post two chapters (either on that same week or on the next one).
> 
> Remember, we are back at the present!

"Like hell we will run away like cowards with their tails between their legs," Damian growled.

"Damian, you must understand that we are no use to anyone if we are dead, and we already established that we will not fight Luthor's envoy and his soldiers," Tim tried to reason. "You, of all of us, are the one they will surely kill, as the Grand Duke's biological son and heir."

"At least I would die with honor, not live in shame," Damian retorted.

"Tim is the current regent. The people already know him and love him. There is also no way they would let him live," Dick tried to appeal. Damian loved his family, no matter how much he pretended not to care.

"Tt!" The thirteen year old looked aside.

"And Dick would definitely be forced to bond with the enemy. Is that what you want?" Tim was more aggressive with his argument by trying to imply it would be Damian's fault if all that happened to them.

"No..." the boy whispered and lowered his head.

"Then we all agree that leaving Gotham is the best option if we hope to get it back," Tim concluded. They were finally getting somewhere. "I believe I should leave closer to their arrival. It will be riskier, true, but we at least owe that to the people. They might panic and despair if we just simply abandon them right now. If I were to give the order to open the gates of the city, then they will know they should not fear the newcomers."

"Well in that case, we all stay until then." Dick said.

"Only I need to stay!"

"Do you think it will be easier for an omega and a child to go alone?"

"I am not a child, Grayson!" Damian negated. "I am a teenager!"

"You haven't even presented yet, Dami, people will see you as a child," Dick tried to make Damian see that that was not the time to argue about semantics. "Point is, even if I use scent blockers or reducers, we are bound to catch the attention of those around us. We will not be able to get food and shelter like that. And who is to say Luthor hasn't already prepared for our escape and have some spies scattered around? We need you to come with us."

Tim sighed but conceded. "Alright... But then we should carefully plan our path and try to come with some alternatives in case something goes wrong."

"And where are we headed to, exactly?" Damian asked.

"The Princess Diana of Themyscira is away from Washington, unfortunately. Last we heard she was at Central City, helping Duke Barry deal with Lord Eobard Thawne. Trustful sources mentioned that the members of the Green Lantern Corps were meeting at Detroit, though, which hasn't been affected by the war so far. I believe it to be our best option. They probably have a better and safer way to contact other Lords on our side."

"Any news from the King and Prince?" Damian slightly trembled at the mention of his friend by Dick.

"No, no one knows where they are nor why. Or even if they are alive," Tim said sadly.

"Tt, of course they are alive," Damian replied. "You would have more luck killing the worst of weeds!"

Dick would have laughed at Damian's comparison, if the matter wasn't so serious. OK, maybe he snorted a bit. That is Damian and his lovely way of describing the people he cares for. "Damian is right. That they are most likely alive, I mean. For the same reasons I believe Luthor's claim about Bruce is false. Still, Metropolis has fallen and Luthor will claim the throne very soon, now that Gotham will follow. Both West and East coast belong to him, along with the southern borders. Well, most of the Eastern coast was not conquered yet but he does hold the capital and soon one of the greatest duchies."

They fell into silence for a while. The tension in the room was almost palpable. Truth was, none of them knew about the true state of the war.

"We will recover," Tim assured. "We were caught by surprise but we are far from defeated. Sure Luthor can take the throne for a while, but he has no real power to hold it for long. I doubt most of his allies joined him because they see him as their king. They probably have their own agendas and no real loyalty. They are bound to fall."

"You are right, Tim! So, how long should we expect them to take to reach here?"

"I would say somewhere between six to nine weeks, if we assume they departed from Star county around the same time we got Luthor's message. So it could be more."

"Could they take less time?"

"I doubt it. I'm already considering them having about a week of a head start, before we were contacted. But that is not likely, for we would have heard about the news of the battle from other sources."

"Good, then," Dick sighed. "We have some time to plan."

Dick was trying not to show that he was worried. His next heat would be in about five weeks. If they were to arrive earlier, there would be no way for him to leave. He just hoped Tim's estimate was correct. 

***

About four weeks later, they were informed of Colonel Wilson's imminent arrival. As it seemed, the infamous Deathstroke traveled ahead of his troops with a smaller party, so they could arrive sooner. This was a disaster. In a few days they would be at the city gates. They had everything prepared to leave, of course, but Dick wouldn't be able to. 

Dick was with Tim at their father's study. Luckily Damian hadn't yet heard the news.

"We need to talk," Dick tried to not let his voice tremble.

"What's the problem?" Tim asked with concern in his voice, catching on his brother's tense body.

"You two will have to go without me," Tim's eyes widened but Dick continued before he had time to speak. "It's my heat. I'll be in heat next week."

"Oh my God!" Tim almost jumped from his chair. "Why are you only telling me this now?"

"Because you said they would at least take six weeks to get here!" Dick then sighed. He did not want to let his brother believe he was putting the blame on him. "Listen, there was no way to know Luthor would have sent Slade freaking Wilson to claim Gotham. I didn't even know he was part of this war, though the man is known to side with whomever pays him more."

"But what should we do? You can't just stay here!"

"So, I actually thought about the possibility. Did not tell you before because I didn't really think it would come to this and there was no need for you to worry."

"Apparently there was!" Tim said. "So what is your plan?"

"You and Damian leave, as we decided before, I will stay here hidden until the end of my heat, and then catch up with you."

"No!" Tim stomped his foot and gesticulated. "Are you out of your mind? What happened to the idea that an omega cannot travel alone?"

"Truthfully, I only said that because I didn't want to say, in front of Damian, that I was actually worried he would be the one catching all the attention," Dick confessed. "You know, with his personality? He would only be more obvious if he started shouting 'I am the prince of Gotham' to everyone."

"And you want me to deal with him all by myself?"

Dick chuckled, "I wish there was another way. But you know I am perfectly able to be on my own. I have prepared everything to pass as a beta out there."

"I don't know, Dick, it's too risky! Why can't you just come with us now? I will only need today to make the last preparations and give the order to the men to open the gates when Slade arrives. We can and should leave tomorrow!"

"Having me in heat during our journey is extremely risky. I don't know if you are aware but I basically get incapacitated for 3 to 5 days. My blockers will not be able to totally mask my scent. Actually, even with them my scent will be stronger than it is now without them. No matter were we stop, I would just be a beacon signaling our position."

"Then how will you be able to hide in Gotham, under the enemy's nose?"

"Have you ever seen, heard or scented me during my heats?"

Tim paused for a bit and blushed, as if he never thought about that. It was natural, though. Although Tim had always been a very curious kid, he seemed to be a bit ignorant about omegan biology. It was not his fault. There haven't been many documents about it that he could study, and Dick doubted the accuracy of the ones that existed, for he read many of them himself and found most of it to be hilariously wrong. He wondered if the scholars who wrote them had even met an omega in their lives.

"I have a place here that can conceal my scent. Only Bruce and Alfred know about it. I already talked with Alfred about this possibility. He will take care of me, don't worry."

Tim lowered his head and nodded.

"Should I write _him_? I mean, I already sent an encoded message telling him where we were planning to go. But I can write him a new one, so he can come here, instead, and help you get away."

"No! Don't tell him I'm going to stay here. Not before it's necessary. He will, most likely, just end up storming in here and get himself killed," Dick replied.

"Come on, Dick! He has trained at Nanda Parbat, for like two years! He surely knows how to be careful and stealthy."

"Yes, I'm sure he is. When the mission is not personal. You remember what happened when you got there. The first thing he did, when he got the chance, was scare you to death, while risking to blow his cover."

"Well, he was careful about it," Tim shrugged.

"There is no way to know when he would arrive, but if he comes while I'm still in heat, I can't imagine him just waiting patiently. And Slade is dangerous. If I were to take a bet, I'd say Luthor won the Battle of the Stars because of him."

Dick just didn't want to risk it. To lose _him_.

"Okay, I won't say anything."

"Thanks," Dick sighed. "Now, one more thing," Dick said. "We have to be careful about how we tell Damian about this."

"He's going to kill us himself," Tim sighed as he rolled his eyes. "I have no idea how we will convince him to let you stay. Perhaps if we pretend you went ahead of us, for some reason I am still trying to think about?"

"He will definitely kill us," Dick chuckled.

The door suddenly opened with a considerable force as a small kid passed fast-paced through the threshold. "I was informed you had news, Drake?"

Both Dick and Tim sighed at the same time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if I will be able to post two chapters the next week or on the other after, since my schedule will probably be in a total chaos. But I hope I can do it, though! I will still post at least one per week :)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed!


	5. Jason - El Dynasty, Year 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously:  
> Talia died after trying to save Damian from her own trap. Ra's al Ghul blames Dick for her death and demands his execution. While Bruce was at the capital to deal with Ra's demands, Damian gets kidnapped by his grandfather's agents. Bruce later adopts Jason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are again at the past!
> 
> This was one of my favorite chapters I've written so far 💙

Jason had been restless and aggressive the last few days, more than he usually was. He was never one to apologize for being rude, but even he believed he had been over the top, lately.

It didn't help that the alphas around him started to stink more and the omegas scents were becoming actually pleasant. He found comfort in the presence of Alfred, though, who had a neutral scent. He liked the old man best. Always appearing to be calm and composed but never hesitant to call on your bullshit, not even to Bruce. Not to mention how awesome his high level sass was.

"I believe you are presenting as an alpha, Master Jason," the beta said. They were at one of the castle libraries where they sometimes would meet to discuss some books they enjoyed.

That would make sense. He was only fifteen and though alphas usually presented at sixteen, it wasn't that unusual to present a year before or later. 

He was excited and anxious at the same time. For one, he'd finally be able to advance in his training, as the others would surely see him as less of a child and more of an adult. 

After being adopted by Bruce, Jason wanted to start his training right away instead of waiting for him to present, or not, in case he were to be a beta. His guardian also agreed, although he insisted Jason would spare some time for his education. He had come to the castle as an illiterate. His family was poor, though he believed they had themselves to blame for it. Jason's father was, what they called, a riffraff alpha, always getting into unnecessary trouble until he ended up in the dungeons one time. Never heard from him since. His mother, well, his mother was more complicated. At least that was what he told himself. He vaguely remembers the days when she seemed to be happy, even with the constant burden of her husband's shitty behavior and the debts that followed. When the old man left, his mother broke down. For the many faults his father had, he was still able to provide them with enough to survive, though he never understood how. It wasn't an easy world for a poor omega widow with a child. If it was only her, maybe she could have found herself a new alpha, but very few would want to take in another alpha's kid. Long story short, they struggled a lot to get by until she fell sick and died. So yeah, he didn't really have time nor money to learn things like read, write, and other stuff, then.

He was anxious about presenting because he didn't know exactly what that would mean in the eyes of his new "family". OK, let's be precise, he didn't know what would happen to his relationship with Dick. 

When he first arrived in the castle and saw the omega, he was so dumbfounded he went and said something embarrassing like "I didn't know there was an angel livin'in the castle!". Dick, who seemed like he'd been arguing with Bruce - probably about him - smiled widely and laughed at his words. What a sight! He didn't even care that his own cheeks were probably turning the deepest shade of red, at the time. So, yeah! He got a major crush on the guy. But who's to blame him, right? Half the castle did. No one knew, though. At least he hoped no one knew since he tried hard to hide it. There was even a chance they believed Jason didn't like Dick that much for he refused to call him "brother" as much as he didn't call Bruce "father". But while he didn't care when Bruce called him "son", he didn't like when Dick called him "little brother". Dick respected it. Most of the times, that is. But at the same time, the idiot would come with bird related names like "Jaybird" or "little wing". He never got that. 

Would he be able to keep it hidden? He sure hoped so.

Truth be told, Jason was a little scared Dick would not return his feelings. Nope, not true. He was terrified! Dick was like three years older than him, less than that, but it was enough to make a huge difference. He was sure the omega still saw him as a little kid. He had hoped that by the time he presented he would have grown enough to look like an adult, but that didn't happen.

"Alfred, when do alphas grow up? Like, get bigger than the other castes?" Jason asked.

"I believe they start growing faster around the time they present. Then it should take a few years til they stop," Alfred replied.

"Years?"

"Well, Master Jason, I am sure people do not sprout from one day to the next, not even alphas."

Years. It would still take years before he could outgrow Dick. Years before Jason would look mature enough to ever have a chance. He could do it, right? It was worth the wait, wasn't it? But what if Dick didn't wait? Shit, Dick wasn't waiting at all, so what if, in the meantime, Dick got to finally meet some alpha he would be interested in and Jason never have a chance? Some Supreme Alph-

"Alfred?"

"Yes, Master Jason?"

"Am I presenting as a Supreme Alpha or just another regular one?"

"I do not believe I ever met 'just another' regular alpha to be able to answer that," Alfred replied. "But I am confident you are not presenting as a Supreme Alpha."

Of course not. Why would he be? That would make him special without putting any effort to it, right? Jason already knew that if he wanted to be special, he had to work for it. But it would be hard, considering it didn't only depend on him. He had to try, right? Right.

***

That night, Jason was making his way to his room when he felt the scent. _Geez, what is that?_

Jason followed the scent, getting stronger and stronger, and somehow he was not surprised when it led to Dick's room. He hadn't seen him for a few days. Dick would do that from time to time. Totally disappear for like five to seven days. When asked, he would say he went here or there, visiting friends and such, but Jason knew he was lying. Not that he was a stalker, but he never saw him leave or arrive. Still, he didn't pry, no matter if it hurt a little.

Jason knocked on the door. "Dick? May I come in?"

When he got no reply he carefully open the door, not to wake the omega in case he was already asleep. He froze instantly for a bit. If the scent he followed was making him a bit nuts, the wave that hit him when he opened the door almost made him lose his mind. It took him a lot of effort to regain control of himself and only then he noticed that Dick was asleep on his bed. 

Dick always had a pleasant scent, contrary to the other omegas. But that, right then, was something totally different. If Jason needed something to be sure he had presented as alpha, that moment would be it.

Jason moved towards Dick, almost as if something was controlling his body other than himself. 

"Dick, are you sleeping?" he asked. He knew very well he was, but somehow he was hoping the other one would wake up and take him out of his stupor.

He sat on the bed, and started sniffing over the older ward, first above his chest, then closing in and moving up to his neck. He didn't remember exactly what happened after that. It was as if his mind went blank. When he came to it, he was being dragged into another room by Bruce, who slammed to door shut before turning to him growling.

"What did you think you were doing?" Bruce asked.

"What?" Jason just noticed he was also growling, even though he didn't exactly know why. Well, having a full grown Supreme Alpha snapping at him could be a good reason, but somehow he didn't think that was the cause. Still, he stopped. "What just happened?"

Bruce started scenting Jason and realization came to his eyes. "You have presented."

"I-I believe so. Alfred said as much."

"Do you understand that you were about to bond with Dick?"

"I-What? N-no, I was just- I followed-"

"This is my fault," Bruce said while he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I should have let him take more days before returning since you are already at presenting age."

"More days to what?"

Bruce sighed. "Should have also made sure you had the _talk_ by this time too."

Jason raised his brow. Man, he was so confused.

"OK, let us sit down, this might take awhile." He led Jason to the armchair in the room next to the bed where he sat. He then proceeded to give Jason what he previously called _the talk_. Jason already knew the basic story, of course, he wasn't that secluded from the world. What he didn't know was how exactly things worked between alphas and omegas. The few omegas he knew were servants, with whom he would definitely not have this kind of conversation with. He sometimes caught some alphas talking about omegas, but they would always stop it as soon as they saw him. He could possibly had sneaked on them, but, truth be told, he was never that curious. He believed it was always about the scent thing. Alphas would be attracted to omegas by their scent and vice-versa, the rest would be the same as it was for betas with some exceptions for male omegas and female alphas. Now he knew there was more to it.

"So, you are telling me that because I just presented, I have an extra sensitive nose and Dick, who just is out of his heat, has his scent extra strong, and I unconsciously reacted to that by trying to bite into his neck where these special glands are, and you came in just in time, and-" Jason stopped so he could breathe. "What the fuck?"

"Mind your language, Jason" Bruce warned. "But yes, if I hadn't sensed your scent around Dick's room and investigated it, you two would be bonded, most likely."

"Just like that? Can an alpha bond with an omega just like that? Doesn't the omega have a say in it?"

Bruce sighed, but not out of irritation. "Unfortunately, no, they don't. Luckily there are now ways to revert the effects of a bond but it is still not a comfortable procedure for the omega. It would be similar to the grief process I explained to you, of when one of the mates dies."

"Damn, of course the victim would have to take all the suffering."

"More or less, the alpha would also go through the grief process in that case, but yes, I understand what you mean."

"I'm sorry!"

"Jason?"

"I didn't know what was happening, I swear!"

"I know. You don't have to worry, I am not mad. Fortunately, nothing happened. And if it did, I would still blame myself, not you."

Jason bowed his head.

"Still, there is one thing that worries me. Jason, the behavior you showed was not just extra sensitive nose versus extra strong scent. That total loss of control would not have happened if you did not have already some kind of attraction to Dick."

Jason widened his eyes at these words. Bruce found out!

"I know you always refused to see Dick as your brother but, Jason, do you wish to bond with him?" There it was. The question he didn't want to be asked, at least not before he was considered mature enough.

"I... y-yes..." he admitted. "But I know it doesn't matter if he doesn't want the same! Hell, probably would never matter since he's a Supreme and I'm just a regular. I'd never force it!"

"I know. And Jason, there would be nothing wrong for a Supreme Omega to be with a _regular_ alpha, the same way many Supreme Alphas are with _regular_ omegas."

"But there are way more Supreme Alphas than Supreme Omegas!"

"True, but that does not mean we have to force a Supreme Omega to be with a Supreme Alpha. They should be able to be even with a beta, or even another omega, if they wanted."

"Another omega?" Jason blushed as the thought of Dick with another version of himself. 

"Yes, but that is not the point here. What I mean is, I would not be exactly against you and Dick being bonded, if you both wished so, even if I would prefer you would be more like brothers. Still, I cannot force you to be as such." Bruce paused. "The point is, both you and Dick are still too young and inexperienced about many things. You have yet to have enough interactions with other people of your own age. Your experience with omegas almost comes down to Dick."

"You think I like him 'cause I don't know anythin'else?"

"I mean that is a possibility."

"So what? Are you going to start bringing omegas here, to see if I take my eyes of Dick?"

"No, that is not what I had in mind." Bruce got up from the bed, approached Jason, and crouched down to imply he was no threat. "I believe it is time for you to get to know the world." Jason held his breath at these words. 

"You have been shown great work in your training, even before presenting. My men told me there was not much more they could teach you." He then chuckled. "They even admitted to be jealous of your talent. I always meant for you to take some time to travel to other places where you could get more specialized training, if you wished so."

Jason wasn't sure if he believed he had been praised for his skills. It's true he'd get some glares from time to time, but he always thought about them as disapproval rather than jealousy. 

"And what if I didn't? I mean, what if I don't?" Jason knew that now there was little chance his opinion mattered.

"I am sorry, son. But I really believe it would be best if you go." Bruce admitted. "You do not have to worry, I am not banishing you. You can come back, after a while. I am expecting it, actually. And when you do, if you and Dick wish to be bonded to one another, you will have my blessing."

"You promise, then?" he wanted to make sure he'd hold Bruce to his words.

"Yes, I do promise."

"Okay, then... I guess I don't have much choice" Bruce gave him a pained look, but he tried to ignore it. "What will you tell Dick? Will he know about this, er-, whole situation?"

"He will know you are to leave to continue your training. About what happened tonight, he will know only if you want."

"No!" Jason almost shouted. "I mean, please, I don't want him be scared of me."

"Do not worry, Jason. I do not think Dick would be scared of you. A little cautious at first, yes, but not scared."

"Still, please don't tell him."

"I will not, then. Now you should go to sleep. Tomorrow I will start the preparations for your journey." Bruce got up and signaled Jason to do the same. "Meanwhile, try not to follow Dick's scent for a day or two, to avoid the repetition of what just happened."

"Oh, I sure will!"

Bruce gave Jason a small smile and said "You are a good person, son. Always remember that."

***

 _Well, fuck you too!_ Jason snapped and threw the chair in his room against the wall. He felt betrayed when he read that letter. _A fucking replacement! It has been what? 6 months? I guess I should've known. I wonder if the new kid will also be sent away to "know the world" if he ends up presenting as an alpha._ God, he wished he didn't. He didn't want that kind of competition, thank you very much. Hey! No worries, right? The kid was like five years younger than Dick, and Jason would probably return before the brat came of age. 

Jason then managed to calm himself down and read the letter one more time. More specifically, the whole letter. He was glad he didn't toss it into the fire, then. It seemed the new kid was adopted under different circumstances than he and Dick. Apparently the kid was the son of a close friend of the old man and not some another hopeless case he found on the streets. It still hurt, though, but he tried to not take it too personally. But what if Bruce decided that the kid would be a great opportunity for Dick? He was basically a Lord, right?

Shit, he hoped he was wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your kudos and comments give me life 💙 thank you so much for the amazing feedback you are giving me!
> 
> I don't know if many of you will be around the holidays, but I might still post a new chapter in the middle of the week :)


	6. Slade - El Dynasty, Year 47

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously:  
> The Wayne boys receive the news that Colonel Slade Wilson, the Lord sent from Luthor, is soon arriving. Dick informs Tim he has to stay behind due to his impending heat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this will be the last time I will remind you if we are at past or present. 
> 
> I'll keep the "previously" summary though.
> 
> One more thing, the text between "~~~" is a flashback.

When Slade arrived at the gates of the city of Gotham, he found no resistance. He believed it was the wisest choice the young regent could have made, though he was a bit disappointed, since he was expecting more from the family of the famous Bruce Wayne. Maybe it was for the best. His reputation might have made him to be ruthless but, in reality, he didn't particularly enjoy unnecessary killing. 

Fear and distrust painted the faces of the people who thought to be brave enough to "welcome" their new Lord, as he and his men paraded through the streets leading to the castle. _Let them see who's in charge,_ he thought. _Let them memorize the face they will have to answer to, from now on_.

Truth be told, he didn't care much about being a high ranking Lord. He considered his previous status to be just perfect for his lifestyle. The ones who knew or heard about his talents would not fear his ambition while they benefited from his services, and the ones who didn't probably never heard of him at all. He was also careful with his military status. By achieving the rank of Colonel he caught the necessary attention to get connections with the right people, while not presenting himself as a too great of a threat to the higher ups. He also hid from many, the fact he was a Supreme Alpha by constantly wearing scent reducers.

The lack of desire to be amongst the heights of nobility changed a few years before, though. He had come to Gotham for one of his jobs. Only reconnaissance. Not that he would be scared to perform any kind of assassination inside the walls of Gotham, since he already had before. 

Slade still remembers vividly the moment the scent hit him.

~~~

It was faint, but somehow the strongest omega scent he had ever felt, if that could even be possible. He then saw its source. A figure lively jumping from rooftop to rooftop, as if they had all the freedom in the world, as if they could fly. He was intrigued with the omega, who moved like they were performing a beautiful and graceful dance in the sky, and so he followed them. He didn't worry about being caught by his own scent, since he was wearing scent blockers, not reducers, like he always did while on the job.

The omega, a young man, it seemed, stopped when he came across another figure. A Supreme Alpha, Slade noticed in an instant as he made sure to hide himself. Not just a Supreme Alpha but _the_ Supreme Alpha from Gotham, the Grand Duke himself.

"What do you think you are doing?" the older man asked.

"Hey there! Fancy meeting you here! Lovely night, isn't it?" the boy replied with a nervous smile.

Slade only then got to see him clearly in that moment when he was lit directly by the moonlight. The omega was probably in his late teens, or early twenties. And damn! He thought that after his daughter's mother, he wouldn't get to see greater beauty, but he was wrong. And the scent. It was strangely faint, but still irresistible. 

"You know it's dangerous for you to leave unescorted, Dick. I know it's hard, but we still can't trust Ra's doesn't want you dead!"

So that was the Duke's ward omega. That could be interesting.

"Don't worry, I am using my scent blockers," Dick replied. 

Blockers? Not reducers, but blockers? And he could still scent him? That's when it hit him. He was surprised to understand that the kid was a Supreme Omega. But not only that, he was _compatible_ with him. That couldn't be right, the odds of two compatible Supremes - Alpha and Omega - meet were so low many believed it to be a myth. 

"That will only avert the attention of the common folk. Any assassin sent to kill you would have learned your face," Wayne said. "I know you are well trained and can generally take care of yourself, but the League is on another level.

Now let's go back, before we are both spotted."

Slade watched as the kid stopped at looked in his direction. That's when he noticed the wind had just changed. 

"Come on, Dick!"

"Wait! Can't you feel it? The scent, I mean?"

"What scent?"

It was true. The omega could also detect him, which means they were truly compatible.

"There is no out of ordinary scent here. Come on, let's go."

As they went away, Slade was already making plans. The omega was his, no doubt. He just needed to know how to get him. He could easily kidnap him, if the kid continued his escapades through the night, but getting him home and hiding him there would not be an easy thing to do. The best choice would be doing a legitimate claim. His status wasn't high enough for him to get good chances, others would definitely have priority over the omega. But thinking about it, the boy had already debuted, he was sure. How come he didn't know he was a Supreme Omega? How come he hadn't been claimed yet? Wayne must had been keeping it a secret, which could make things harder for him but at the same time, give him more chances.

~~~

When he arrived at the castle, he was met with an empty Lord seat on an empty room. Except for the servants, who were lined against its walls.

"Where are they?" Slade asked no one, specifically. " Where are the sons of Bruce Wayne?" 

When he got no reply, he turned to one of the servants, with a severe expression, "Where. Are. They?"

"T-The L-Lords left several days a-ago, m-my Lord. J-just after Lord Timothy g-gave the orders to open the gates," the frightened beta replied.

"All of them?"

"Y-yes, my Lord." 

Slade tried to keep himself composed, not even letting his scent betray the anger that wanted to rise in him.

"Is that so? Well, in that case, I believe you are either lying or just not in the know of their plans. Which is it?"

"I s-swear, my Lord, t-they have left."

"You see, I know for a fact that the eldest son, Richard, is about to be in heat," he smirked. "And I was always led to believe that the Bruce Wayne kids were very smart boys. And smart boys know better than try to run away with a Supreme Omega in heat."

"W-wha-?"

"So, last chance. Where. Is. Richard? Anyone?" he looked around the room. Again, there was no reply besides whimpers and scents of distress. "So be it," he said as he beheaded the servant he had been speaking with, with a swift move of his katana. The room filled with cries.

"I apologize for my rudeness. I have not introduced myself. I am Slade Joseph Wilson, your new Lord of Gotham. My noble rank will be determined after the coronation of your future King, Alexander Joseph Luthor.

Now, I do not know if you have heard of me before, and I understand if you have not. I am not known to be kindhearted, though. However, I do my best to be fair, so I will make a deal with you. For each day that goes by without having your Lord Richard presented to myself, I will execute one of you at random. And for each day I am forced to do so, I will take more time while doing it," he paused to take in the expressions of horror in the servants faces. "I guess you have around twenty four hours to decide what it will be. I must warn you, though, that sometimes I get to be early with my appointments."

With this, he left the room. Aside all the foul smells of fear and despair, he was sure he could still feel the faint aroma he remembered from a few years back. He knew there was a small chance the omega was really gone. But if that were to be true, his men would find him in no time.

***

Next day, the servants lined up in the main hall. As soon as Slade entered, their expressions changed from fear to dread.

"You all know why you are here and what will happen next," Slade spoke after a while. "You have failed to bring your beloved Lord to me. I must say, I am impressed. Either you are very loyal people or your Lords are impressively stealthy.

Since today is just the second I will be generous and let you volunteer to take the punishment," he said with an almost gentle voice. "Anyone? You surely are very quiet people," He then noticed one of the older men, he believed to be the chamberlain of the castle, who not only was the one who would know all about everyone and everything but was also supposed to be very close to the family, according to his sources. "You there! I do not recall seeing you here, yesterday," He called as he approached. "Are you the chamberlain?"

"I am indeed, Sir," the man replied.

"What is your name?"

"Alfred Pennyworth, Sir."

"Nice to meet you, Alfred. I suppose you would be the one to know every corner of this place."

"I sure hope so, Sir, for that is part of my job."

"Indeed," Slade grinned. "Then I suppose you would be the best candidate to know every secret passage and every secret room within these walls, correct?" he asked as he unsheathed his sword with the sounds of whimpering emerging at once.

"That is correct, Sir."

"Now Alfred, will you tell me in which of those places I will find your Lord Richard, or will I have to use another member of your staff as an example? Perhaps this poor young omega maid," he pointed with the katana to the girl next to them, who immediately started sobbing with fear.

Slade was impressed by the old beta composure. He was clearly affected by Slade's words and actions but only trained eyes could notice that.

"Now, now. I would not think I would need to inform you that I mean no harm to Lord Richard. This is not what this is about. The other two Lords? Perhaps, but I am not asking you for them now, am I? There is no need to sacrifice your lives protecting someone I myself wish to put under my protection. So, what will it be?"

"I am sorry, Sir," Alfred replied as the omega maid started crying more intensely.

"Very well, then."

Slade took the girl's chin with his hand and looked at her with his good eye as he spoke softly. "Do not fear, it will be quick." As he prepared to pierce her heart, he felt it once again. The scent.

"Stop!" a loud male voice said.

He immediately let go of the girl and turned to him. God, he had grown even more beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this site is not really busy, due to the holidays, so I'm not sure if I should keep posting two chapters per week, or just one, until after the new year. 
> 
> If you are around here during these holidays, and are interested in updates, please let me know, and I'll post one on Sunday or Monday :)
> 
> 💙


	7. Bruce - El Dynasty, Year 42

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously:  
> Jason presented as alpha and almost bonded with Dick, unintentionaly. Bruce sent him away to help his training.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all, for being such amazing readers! Nuff said!

Bruce was not pleased when he was informed that Luthor would be visiting several counties to pay his respects and present his formal apologies to their respective lords. At least Clark had the decency of accompanying him to Gotham, probably afraid that a feud would start if he let Bruce and Luthor meet with no supervision. And he was probably right.

When Luthor asked to meet his omega ward, Bruce got irritated, but when the Marquess insisted on it after Bruce rejected the idea, as politely as he could, he had to restrain himself from punching the arrogant man in the face. Clark clearly noticed the anger in his scent, and awkwardly changed the subject, before anything less pleasant happened.

Later, after Luthor was escorted to his chambers, Clark joined Bruce in his study, and before he even opened his mouth, the King held his hand up with an apologetic face.

"Before you say anything, I swear to you, I haven't spoke to Luthor about Dick."

"I surely hoped so. No matter how gullible you are, that would be just betraying my trust."

"You know I would never do that!" Clark gasped with a hurt expression.

"I know you wouldn't. I'm not accusing you of that."

Clark relaxed. Bruce knew how this would look for an outsider. The King basically submitting to the Grand Duke. But this was not about rank, this was about a kind friendship they did not share with anyone else.

"Luthor knows, I could tell by his obnoxious smirking and tone in his voice." Bruce said. "And what worries me is not knowing who told him and who else knows. I sincerely want to believe it wasn't anyone I have trusted this secret with."

"Couldn't he just have suspected? I mean, you do keep Dick away from seeing almost any Lord. Someone is bound to be suspicious."

"That's not true. I had Dick meet some other Lords under the pretense of him being a regular omega, while he was using scent blockers and an artificial scent. This should have been enough to avoid that kind of rumors."

"OK, so who do you suspect?"

"I can't tell. I cannot see who would know about this that would benefit from telling Luthor."

"Well, maybe he doesn't know at all. Maybe it's just paranoia." Clark raised his hands when Bruce shot him a glare. "Hey! It is totally understandable, in this situation! Even I went there when he kept asking."

"Well, it is good to know you don't blindly trust him."

"I may not trust him blindly, no. But I do trust he has changed and truly wants to make amends."

"He should have been given that opportunity after receiving his punishment. And I mean a real punishment, not just "demoting" him to Marquess."

"Would you have me imprisoning him?"

"He betrayed you, Clark, he basically tried to overthrow you! In most places he would have been executed! The minimum you could have done was stripping him of his rank. And I don't mean a demotion. What you did? He will not learn anything from it! Others might even believe they can do the same, without having to worry about serious repercussions."

"But he _is_ my friend, Bruce! He was always very spoiled, yes, and I believe that this was all this was about. Please give him the benefit of the doubt."

"You are too kind, Clark." Bruce sighed. "Too much for your own good."

"I thought you liked my kindness." Clark said while giving him that perfect bright smile. 

Bruce stopped for a second. They would not go there!

"So," Bruce coughed and ignored the comment, "how are the Queen and the Prince?"

Clark's smile changed to one a bit sad but still warm.

"They are great. Little Jon is just adorableness incarnate, and Lois keeps being the most patient soul I've had the honor to meet. She is also constantly hitting on my head about Luthor."

"Well, at least I can count on her to try to keep your wits when I can't."

"You are still the best at it," Clark smiled again and winked.

"Stop it, Clark!" Bruce warned. "Don't do that, do not even joke about it!"

"Sorry," Clark dishearten, smile gone. "You are right, I shouldn't have."

"You have to let it go, Clark. For your sake as well as Lois', Jon's, and even mine. The only thing you can do now is to use your power to make changes so that, in the future, people like us do not share the same fate. As well as giving people many other freedoms."

"I don't have _that_ kind of power. If I start changing things like that, someone _will_ overthrow me."

"If you change them abruptly yes, you would probably be eaten alive, " Bruce agreed, "but if you start with little steps, maybe... Make a small change today that no one will complain too much about, and when it becomes something everyone is accustomed to, change a little more."

"That would take ages!"

"Generations, perhaps and unfortunately. But it is the only way I see that could avoid a lot of bloodshed. Revolutions should only be a last resort, when the costs do not outweigh the gain. Like your father did."

"Why can't people just be simple and just worry about things that truly matter?" Clark sighed.

"Because most of those who have power over others do not want to give it away. They don't even know what to do without it." Bruce said. "But maybe one day everything will be different. Gender, primary or secondary, will not be discriminated, Lords will not inherit their titles but earn them..." he paused, "leaving it possible for people with same primary and secondary gender to be together, for they would not need to secure an heir."

Clark smiled at these words, "Yes, I believe I could try to give it a little push in that direction."

Bruce also smiled, "And I believe you will succeed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, you get what I'm hinting here, right?  
> I'm not sure if I should tag the relationship or not. I feel I should, but, at the same time, I kinda want it to be a "surprise". 
> 
> Anyway I added "other mentioned/implied relationships" to the tags, so there's that.
> 
> Next you will find out what happened between Dick and Slade!


	8. Slade - El Dynasty, Year 47

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously:   
> Slade arrived to Gotham and found no sign of Dick. He knew they were compatible Supremes and believed to have the right to claim the omega. After Slade killed a servant and threatening killed the rest, Dick decided to show himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year, everyone!!!

"I am Richard John Grayson Wayne, eldest ward of the Grand Duke of Gotham, Bruce Thomas Wayne." the young man said, as he approached Slade with perfect poise. "I am aware you have requested my presence. I would hope your Lordship would forgive me for my belatedness, and spare poor Aylin for my misstep."

Dick paused within a considerable distance from Slade. He could see that the kid was slightly trembling, but not from fear. Slade then smirked, as he understood him. "Worry not, Lord Richard, Miss Aylin is safe from my punishment, as well as the rest of the servants." 

Slade then proceeded to approach Dick, who tensed even more with his movement. The omega was wearing scent blockers and an offensive fake omega scent. Slade was sure the kid had fooled other alphas, Supreme Alphas even, with the charade, but he knew better. Even under that artificial smell he could still feel Dick's true scent. 

"I am very pleased you have decided to show yourself," he said, stopping in front of the young man. "I was afraid I would have to start to tear this place down so I could find you. It would be a shame."

Dick swallowed, clearly not able to speak at that moment.

"I suppose you are very confused, at the moment. Something inside you is telling you something about me that you are refusing to believe to be true, am I correct?"

Dick's eyes widened a little, while everyone looked at them with confused expressions. 

"You there," Slade said pointing at the general direction of the servants. "How would you describe my scent?"

The men and women were even more disoriented with the question.

"Well?" he asked as he sent them a glare.

"W-we c-cannot describe it, m-my Lord. W-we cannot s-scent anything." 

"Perfect description," Slade said with a grin. 

"What a great opportunity this is! And so many witnesses," he turned to the servants once again, "Would you say your Lord's scent is the same as of a generic omega's? A somewhat sweet floral one?" 

The servants looked between themselves and nodded, and he continued, "Well, I would say you are completely wrong," he turned to Dick once again and raised his hand to the omega's neck, slid it through the fabric that was hiding the spot where his bonding glands should be, "your Lord Richard's scent cannot be described at all."

At this point, Dick's pupils were so dilated the blue of the iris almost vanished. Slade could understand, he himself was also making a great effort to keep hold of himself. He almost lost it when the omega unconsciously reached for his neck with his nose, as if thirsty for his scent. Slade could then see everyone's attention was on the pair, taking the opportunity and removing part of the patch blocking his scent glands. The moment he did so, Dick knelt to the floor, putting himself in the typical submission position indicating the omega was at the mercy of the alpha in front of him. 

Everyone gasped at this display. Many were still confused, not understanding why their Lord was accepting Slade, but most made the connection. One of the common things the old stories about compatible Supremes told was that when they met, they would feel the immediate need to bond to each other.

Slade put the blocker in its place. He had already proved everyone in the room that their Lord belonged to him, and no one else. 

"Get up," he softly asked Dick, who by then was shaking and with tears threatening to fall through his eyes. The omega complied. He then announced to the room, "As you all could see, me and Richard are fated to bond. Still, protocol states that we need the consent of the King to perform such act. Although Lord Luthor is not yet officially the King, there have been precedents of urgent official matters occurring before coronations and reinforced later. So I will see to this immediately, and you should expect a formal ceremony to be held in about two weeks. Later, you will be informed on how to prepare for the event. You are all dismissed."

As the servants were leaving the room, Slade made sure Dick was regaining his senses.

"Dick, are you aware?" Dick's expression was of confusion when he addressed him by his diminutive. 

"I know you are about to have your heat in a few days. I will not, however, share it with you this time. Not only I can't risk bonding with you before the ceremony, I also need the time to make sure everything here in Gotham is settled. Did you use to stay here, in the castle, when you were in heat?"

"I... yes," Dick almost whispered.

"Then you will do whatever you used to do to keep away from everyone. But I warn you, Dick. Do not even attempt to run, or I will return to my daily punishments to your servants." Slade said. "Do you understand me?" he asked when Dick stayed silent.

"Y-yes. I will not run."

"Good," he said as he caressed he omega's cheek, "As long as you understand you are mine, little bird, everything will be fine."

More or less. He still had to inform Luthor. 

Waiting so long for the ceremony was a risk, and he knew it. That was why he made sure no one would doubt him if he claimed he and Dick to be compatible Supremes. A bonding ceremony, between nobles, just before a King's coronation was rare, Sovereigns usually preferring to have their celebration before any other. But Slade could make the case that this was an urgent circumstance, due to his and Dick's nature. Still, that was not enough to avoid foul play at Luthor's side. Whether or not he knew about Dick, the man was an unbonded Supreme Alpha about to claim the throne. What better mate than a Supreme Omega?

Slade would have to keep vigilant and be very careful during the next days. After they bonded, he would be able to relax about the matter. And after the war was over, he would finally send for his daughter, Rose, to join him and his husband at Gotham. 

He was close to having it all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you so much for your support.   
> I am still overwhelmed at it all, on my very first story 💙💙💙


	9. Bruce - El Dynasty, Year 44

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously:  
> Clark and Luthor visited Gotham and Bruce was not amused when Luthor asked for Dick.  
> Bruce and Clark talked about the current problems of the kingdom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I know it's early but tomorrow and Monday I'll be very busy, so I decided to post today.

"I will not trade one son for the other, Tim, and that is final!" Bruce said. 

"It's not trading. The deal is for only one year, not forever!" Tim replied.

"Damian is Ra's grandson, no matter how much it pains me he's not with me, I know he is safe there. But you? Who is to know that Ra's doesn't end up just keeping you? Or even killing you?"

"That wouldn't make sense! Why would he give up on his grandson to kill me? He doesn't have anything against me."

"But he has against me!"

"I have been told he has something against Dick, not you. And right now, I'm not sure he does. It has been five years since he accused Dick of killing Talia, and by now we haven't had any word from Nanda Parbat. Either he learned about Dick's true designation, or he is playing the long game to get to him. There is a chance that he wants to use me to get intel, or even to try to brainwash me, but we can use this in our advantage instead."

"You want to play spy? Tim, you have just entered presenting age. If you present as an omega, you will be in great danger." 

"Both my parents were betas, as well as my grandparents. The chances I am anything else are extremely low. Look, I know it's risky, but I want to do it! You know that, even though I am still a child in theory, I am not that naive to let myself be persuaded into giving up secrets, or rebelling against you."

Tim had a point and Bruce knew it. The child has proven to be nothing but brilliant, but he could tell that he wasn't as iron willed as he believed to be. Not when it was about his family.

"Bruce," Tim called interrupting his thoughts. "I know you are worried. And yes, I am also intimidated by the idea. But that is good! That is what Ra's is expecting, right? A frightened kid whose adoptive father just used him to get his biological son back. It is not that I will have to play tough. Please, please let me do this!"

"Very well," Bruce sighed.

"Thank you!" Tim beamed. "I-I will make the preparations on my side." 

Bruce watched as the kid ran towards the door, paused and turned, "One more thing! I wouldn't be surprised if _Damian_ is the trap here. I would watch him around Dick!" He then continued to dash almost forgetting to close the door.

He sighed once again. He was afraid he would regret this decision, but it was done. He wouldn't let his son go to that place without any allies to watch over him, though. Truth was, Tim would not be his first ward to be trained by Ra's al Ghul. Jason himself was there, though undercover. He had no way of contacting him, at that moment, without risking his son's identity to be revealed, so he had to rely on Jason taking the initiative to protect Tim.

***

The exchange went oddly well. He insisted it to be on neutral ground and so they met half way, in the kingdom of Portucale. The entire journey would take months so he left Dick at the care of Duke Allen, where he knew he would be safe. 

He barely recognized Jason. How he had grown. Bruce had warned him not to call too much attention to himself, but, has it seemed, Jason did not listen, and found himself trusted enough, among the League of Assassins, to be part of the trade party. They did not speak to each other, though they did exchange glances which was enough to let Bruce, partially, at ease.

They followed the protocol, and signed all the usual documents, including a new peace treaty which the Grand Duke was signing as King Clark's representative, having the Princess Diana of Themyscira as their side's witness.

Only then they called Tim and Damian in. Damian had just turned five, when Bruce last saw him. Now he was ten. He could see both himself and Talia in the boy's features, specially in his frowning expression which should not belong to a child his age. He wondered then if letting the boy stay at his grandfather's guardianship for so long had been the wisest choice, even if it avoided a war.

"Damian, my son. It is good to see you again."

"Father," the boy acknowledged not betraying his neutral tone.

"This is Timothy, Tim, your brother, who will be under your grandfather's care for the next year."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Damian," Tim said cordially.

"Tt, you are not my brother, peasant. For all I know, I am an only son!" Damian retorted.

"Damian, please be respectful of your father," Ra's said while faking to be trying to hide a smile. Maybe Tim was right. Damian was most likely to have biased opinions about his family. Who knows what Ra's had been feeding his head about Dick. "And Lord Timothy has been a Lord before coming into your father's care, so he is not a peasant."

"Tt."

This was going to take some work.

***

Leave it to his eldest son to charm his way into the youngest's heart. 

As expected, in the beginning, the kid had been extremely rude and aggressive towards Dick, more than he was with anyone else around him. Bruce had to scold the boy countless times, since he had attempted to inflict major harm on his brother, from tripping him on the stairs, to practicing knife throwing when Dick was passing by. Good thing that Dick was always quick enough to avoid a serious incident and, as usual, pretended nothing happened. Bruce had urged his eldest son to keep some distance from his brother, but his warnings always fell on deaf ears. Dick had loved Damian since Bruce had taken him in, when the youngest was still a two year old, and he would never quit on trying to win his little brother's favor, once again. And that he admirably did.

Almost from one day to the next, the child's behavior had drastically changed. He was still impossibly rude to everyone, but he suddenly became overprotective of his older brother. He would spend a lot of his free time around him. Death or violence threats would be thrown at Dick's friends, whenever they visited, stating he was defending the omega's virtue. Bruce even had to explicitly tell the boy his brother needed to be away for his heat, because he was insisting on joining him on his (made-up) journey. When he asked Dick what happened to make Damian change so abruptly, the boy just shrugged and said they had a talk which resolved their differences.

Bruce grew worried Damian would end up following Jason's steps. Sure Damian was very young but Jason had later admitted he had liked Dick from the start. 

One day, he called his son to his office. He needed to talk with the boy before it turned out to be too late.

"I was informed you have summoned me, Father," Damian said, after he entered the study room.

"I did indeed."

"Are those more propositions for Richard's hand in marriage?" he asked and he saw Bruce going through a pile of letters. "If that is so, I advise you not to trouble yourself with such absurdities and throw them directly to the flames."

"It is my duty to cordially reply to them."

"You mean reject them," Damian crossed his arms.

"Yes," he sighed. "Reject them at your brother's request."

"Why even bother him with such nonsense?"

"Because this is a matter that involves him, therefore he shall make the decisions himself. Does it bother you that Dick is getting these many proposals? Are you threatened by them?"

"Tt! As if those ludicrous Lords could hope to threat anyone. I just find it abhorrent that they believe to be a good match for Richard."

"Hmm, and who would be a good match for Dick?"

"Naturally someone with dignity and worth of respect. Not these entitled imbeciles who do not even have the courage to meet him in person," he replied.

"For example?"

"I have seen no example, as of yet. Except for you, but you do not count, for obvious reasons. I know you must be worried I am setting far too high expectations for Richard's future mate, but I must convey that he is better off without one, if none are acceptable."

Bruce relaxed a bit, believing his son did not seem to see himself as a possible choice. At least as of then. But there was something else that was bothering him.

"Damian, you must understand it is not your responsibility to choose Dick's partner. Nor is your approval supposed to be a decisive factor. In the end, it should all be between Dick and his, hypothetical, mate."

"You believe my opinion on the matter to be unimportant?" Damian widened his eyes.

"Your opinion is important, and I am sure Dick would always listen to what you would have to say. But, in the end, the decision will be his, and you should support it."

"I will not support it if Richard decides to choose a buffoon to bond with! He is a gullible idiot who will befriend anyone! What if he ends up falling for some knothead who wants to take advantage of him?"

_Knothead? Where is he learning these words?_ "Damian, Dick is not that naive." Well, more or less. His eldest did end up having some crushes that did not end well, in the past. But nothing had ended up being too serious, fortunately, and he was now a grown man and knew better... he hoped. "As you can see, he has not accepted a single proposal, and has only befriended the Lords and Ladies that did come to see him, with my approval."

"If you are mentioning the ones like West, Troy and Harper, then I am starting to doubt your judgment!"

Bruce sighed. He was getting tired of this conversation. He had already established that Damian was not in the same situation as Jason. He had to think about how to deal with the kid's over-protectiveness over Dick. But later.

*** 

Turns out that he did not need to worry too much. As time passed, Damian started giving Dick more space, and being less aggressive towards others that looked at his brother's direction (though he would still do it, but more subtly... sometimes). Dick had told Bruce the boy had just needed the time to adapt to his new lifestyle.

When Tim finally came back, safe and sound, part of Damian's attention was diverted to him. It would have been a good thing, if the boy did not start a fight with his returning brother, at all times, for no apparent reason.

Bruce kept mentally sighing and now sure that Tim had been right all this time. Damian was the trap. His grandfather had raised him to make Bruce's hair go gray prematurely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am close to finishing writing this story *.*  
> It'll have around 25 chapters!


	10. Dick - El Dynasty, Year 47

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously:   
> Slade put on a show to prove he and Dick were compatible Supremes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was preparing this to post tomorrow since I got some time, and then said to myself "eff it, I'm gonna post it now!!!"
> 
> No regrets!

Dick was in his room, with Alfred keeping him company. He was still trembling from the scene that just happened, not really believing it _happened_. There was a time he believed the stories about compatible Supremes, even before he knew he was a Supreme Omega himself. They sounded so romantic! As if it was a soul bond of sorts, like the first accounts believed it to be. He loved the idea of two people knowing they were meant for each other at first scent, with no complications in between, just immediate comprehension and affection. 

Then he grew up. Not that the compatibility idea turned into something too ridiculous for him to believe to be true. He just started to see things differently, by meeting new people under different circumstances, and looking at the past from another perspective. His parents were definitely not compatible, nor even Supremes, but they were still the greatest proof of love he ever remembered to have witnessed. He came to dearly love his friends, his brothers, his father, and it was never something instantaneous. The feelings grew with time, with those "complications", even if people insisted he was someone who would share his love too quickly and easily. His experience was then telling him this compatibility thing didn't sound right. For him, falling in love was about the time you got to know someone, and now he couldn't see it being in any other way.

And he was right. The moment he entered the main hall, to stop Slade from killing Aylin, he remembered that strange night on a rooftop of Gotham city. The scent, faint but still distinct from all others, calling to his attention. When he realized it came from Slade, he had to fight the urge of going to him. Then the Colonel started speaking as if he could read his mind, if he knew what was happening to him. When he removed part of his scent blocker, Dick lost it. It was as if someone else had taken possession of his body, for he had no control whatsoever, no matter how much he fought for it. He knew, then, that he was right. Compatibility between Supremes was not about love. It was actually something terrifying. He was terrified. He was somehow regretting not leaving with Tim and Damian. But if he had, then Aylin would also be dead, and many others would have followed.

"Are you feeling better, Master Dick?" Alfred asked, bringing Dick out of his inner thoughts.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Alfred! I'm just..." Dick didn't even know how to express himself.

"You have done nothing that requires an apology, Master Dick. And you are reacting to this situation better than what would be expected," he said, not mentioning the wet path the tears left on Dick's face. "I do not know how things will be run around here from now on, but I do feel the need to advise you to always wear your blockers. That man might not keep his promise of waiting for the ceremony to bond with you, if he finds you without them, Sir."

"Y-yes, of course. I have no intentions to give him any excuse."

"That is good to know. But what I really wish you would consider, Sir, is to leave this place as soon as possible."

"I can't do that, Alfred. Slade already killed Ronan, and was about to kill Aylin. If I leave, he _will_ carry on with his threats, and kill you one by one. I could never let that happen."

"We are not your responsibility, Master Dick."

"Maybe, but you are all people I care about. I won't leave. Not without being sure nothing will happen to you because of it."

"You know, Sir, sometimes I wish Master Bruce had raised you to be spoiled and egoist children."

Dick chuckled at that, "Then he would have to hear you complaining about his parenting skills, all day, everyday."

"I do not complain, Master Dick, I simply make observations."

"Of course you do, Alfie. You are a master of observation."

"Proudly, Sir."

***

That night, Dick was sure he would not sleep. Not well, at least. But he had to try. He needed rest, so he could keep his wits and pay attention to everything he could, in case an opportunity presented itself. Opportunity for what, he didn't know. To escape without putting everyone at risk? Unlikely. To change Slade's mind about the bonding? Impossible. To... kill him? He didn't believe he had it in him. Even if he had, what would that accomplish? Luthor would just send someone else, who could even be worse, or even send for Dick if he already knew of his Supreme status by then.

Dick felt he needed to relax, to distract himself with something. Something that would help him disconnect from the current harsh reality. From his current situation, his worries for his brothers, since he had no way to know if they were safe, his desperation about Bruce's unknown circumstances, the whole ridiculous war itself. But there wasn't much he could do "locked" in his room. And he would definitely not risk to leave and wander around.

His thoughts went to Jason, when he looked at the carpet that covered the hidden compartment on the floor, where he stored his letters. Bruce didn't know about them, for he was the only one supposed to get correspondence from Jason, and pass on the news he wouldn't deem as classified. If he did know about the letters, he never pronounced any concerns. Alfred, most likely, no, take that back, definitely knew about them. The man knew everything! But he would never tell Bruce, as the grandfather figure that would let his grandchildren do things behind their parents' backs. He bet Alfred even got to read some of the letters he would leave open, basically screaming "read me", since those were _were_ meant for him to read. He knew the old beta truly missed Jason. The only other person who knew about them, was Tim. He was the smuggler, after all.

It all started when Tim went to Nanda Parbat for a year. As it seemed, Jason had already been there for about that amount of time, but only Bruce knew about it. Their father was expecting his second eldest to look out for Tim without revealing himself, but Jason being Jason just went and threatened the younger teenager, as soon as he could. Tim admitted to Dick that, sometimes, he would be more afraid of his supposed older brother than of Ra's al Ghul, and that was saying something. Dick assured him that Jason would never make good of his threats, because Tim didn't deserve it, and Jason was a good person. Long story short, Jason used Tim to create a secret line of communication between him and Dick (and Alfred). 

It was so much fun. He started to want to re-read all the letters. All the tellings of his Little Wing's adventures around the world. All the different people, cultures, and the friends he came to meet. The things he haven't done since his parents' deaths, and would probably never do again. Jason would sometimes call him "Big Bird", though he felt more like a tiny one locked in a birdcage. But he knew it had to be so. There was no chance for him to be as free as his Jaybird. Still, he loved Jason's stories and loved that he would take the time and effort to write him. Even the silly name calling and tough act, that would sometimes come after a few thoroughly struck and unreadable lines which Dick liked to imagine once revealed only sensitive and affectionate words. Jason loved to read, even romance novels, so it wouldn't be too strange for him to write such things, right? Maybe they actually were replies to Dick's flirting attempts. Oh, he wished so much he could read them, that he sometimes believed Jason did it on purpose.

He then felt reality coming back to him. He shouldn't be thinking about reading the letters, he should be considering burning them. If Slade were to be the extremely obsessive type and wanted to do a thorough search to his room, he would positively find them. Even if he wouldn't have the ones Dick sent to Jason, there was a good chance he would interpret them as a threat to their bonding. Last thing Dick wanted was for Slade to put a personal target on Jason, even if they did not mentioned him by name. He had to get rid of them.

He got up from the bed, where he was seated, to get the letters when he heard knocking, and tensed. When he open the door he saw Aylin, which made him relax a bit, although the poor girl was clearly still shaking, probably from the early afternoon's events.

"I-I am sorry to bother you, my Lord," the omega maid said. Rarely anyone addressed him so formally at the castle, unless they were on the presence of high ranking guests. 

"It's okay, Aylin. How are you feeling?"

"I am well, m-my Lord. I came to inform your lordship that Lord Wilson has r-requested your presence in his c-chambers."

Dick froze at those words. It was then that he noticed Aylin was not alone. One of Slade's men was there, probably to make sure he would know he couldn't tell the maid to pretend he was asleep. So much for a "request".

"I-I understand, Aylin. I will do so. You can go rest now."

"Thank you, my Lord. Please excuse me," the girl said with fear in her features as well as sadness. 

The beta who had come with Aylin did not protest the maid's departure and kept looking to the nothing on the wall, waiting.

Dick went back in the room, leaving the door just a little open, to let the man think he went to get or prepare something. 

He had only one word coming to his mind. Jason would be proud.

_Fuck!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just need to write more two or three chapters and I'm finished! Then I'll start updating even more frequently ˋ( ° ▽、° )


	11. Damian - El Dynasty, Year 44

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously:  
> Damian came back from Nanda Parbat, and Tim spent a year there training. Bruce was worried Damian meant to harm Dick but then the kid's behavior towards his older brother changed to a positive one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have an important announcement to make! 
> 
> I have finished writing the story!!! *PARTY!!!!!* I just couldn't make myself stop!
> 
> So I'll be updating this almost daily. I won't put everything right away, 'cos I still need to re-read most of the chapters to check for typos and such, as well as any inconsistencies.
> 
> A note about this chapter. This one starts before the end of the previous (past) one and ends after it.

Talia al Ghul Wayne, Grand Duchess of Gotham, Princess of Nanda Parbat, Damian's mother, died when she sacrificed herself to save him from the trap set by Father's ward, Richard Grayson.

Damian had very few memories of Mother. He was only four years old on that ill-fated day. But those memories were precious to him. He still remembered her scent, her laugh, her beautiful voice which still echoed in his ears through the lullabies she would sing for him. He remembered the warmth and happiness he always felt around her. What he regretted to not remember was her face, having to rely on an old portrait to have an idea of her image. Grandfather told him it was something natural, he was too young. But emotions would always be held strongly in one's heart. The memories he had from his senses were not about the real scents, images, touches or sounds, but about what they would make him feel inside, the nostalgia. Still, he wished he could remember her face. But he could not. Richard Grayson took that from him. 

Bruce Thomas Wayne, Grand Duke of Gotham, his father. He remembered him. He was five when he last saw him, not too much older than when he last saw Mother, but he had always remembered his face. Father was a busier person than Mother, and would not participate much during play times. Supreme Alphas did not engage in those silly things. And Father was the epitome of a Supreme Alpha. Even Grandfather respected him, which always made Damian feel proud. Not that he would admit it. 

Despite everything that exemplified Father's greatness, he was still weak in one aspect. Omegas. Or at least, one particular omega. The same one that lead Mother to her untimely demise.

Damian would not suffer such vile creature to be present in his family any longer. He would deal with the situation himself.

When he finally met the man responsible for Mother's death, he almost jumped at his throat there and then. What stopped him was the conflicting emotions inside him. How dared he use Mother's scent? He heard many omegas, and even some betas, would wear fake omega scents, probably unsatisfied with their own. And this Grayson fiend was using one very close to Mother's. One that was bringing all those memories back. He wondered if that was why Father was blind to that degenerate.

The omega harpy even dared to smile at him, call him "Dami", and talk to him with such familiarity that had him snarling with revulsion. Father had to send the bitch away so Damian would not kill him right there. After that, he started babbling something about Damian having to get along with his "brother", that whatever Grandfather told about him was untrue, and to not harm him. But Damian would not be fooled.

Father would always be extremely upset about the times he caught Damian trying to put the villainous creature out of its misery. And the latter would always pretend to be the forgiving saint and "defend" Damian. The cretin! Still, Father warned him that if he tried anything again, he would have to sent him away, to have his behavior corrected. He did not know if Father would go through his threat, considering he had just managed to get Damian back, but Damian did not really wished to find out. Not that he would quit, no. He would just be more careful not to get caught.

One day, one of his plans backfired and he got himself seriously hurt. _I suppose now I will learn if Father is serious about giving me up_ , he thought. He was sure there was no possibility of Father not discovering why he got hurt.

"Damian," Father called while entering his room, with a grave look on his face.

"Father," only then he noticed that Grayson was with him. Splendid...

"Dick told me what happened," Father said as Damian did everything not to betray his neutral expression and scent. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Of course I am. Tis but a scratch. Just a flesh wound."

"I would hardly say that a broken arm and a broken leg are just flesh wounds." 

Damian just gave him the "whatever you say" look. Father then nodded to Grayson who came closer.

"Hey, Dami! I just wanted to apologize," Damian gave him a furrowed and confused look, but the omega continued before he could say anything, "for, you know, not being careful enough and let you fall."

That was not what happened _at all_. Why was Grayson acting like it was his fault? What were his intentions?

Father was looking at him with a hint of worry in his eyes, and not a single trace of anger or disappointment, so he decided he would play along, for a while.

"Tt, I do not need anyone taking care of me."

"Anyway," Father said, "I already told Dick that if you want to learn how to be an acrobat, you should start in a more secure environment."

_What the... Damn that villain!_ Damian needed not to be taught how to be an "acrobat". He was trained by Grandfather, nothing Grayson knew could possible help him in any way. Then again, the sly omega was very good at evading Damian's attacks, just like the latest one where he ended up receiving the damage he intended to inflict.

Somehow, Damian felt relief. He was insulted, sure, but relieved Father did not believe he was attempting to harm Grayson, and, therefore, did not want to send him away.

"Well then, it seems you will have to stay put for a few weeks, probably more than a month. I hope you will see this as a lesson. Both of you. I will be visiting you every now and then, Damian. Be sure to treat well the staff that will be taking care of you." 

Father then left, with Grayson right behind him.

_Tt, as if I need that long to recover._

***

Two days later Damian got a high fever. The incompetent doctor seemed to be worried about it, as he spoke about his condition to someone. He could not really say who. He could not concentrate much on anything, since his head was throbbing with pain. 

He felt weak. All he could think about was having the soothing scent of Father... of Mother. But Father was away, at the time, and Mother...

He then felt it. Mother's scent. It felt so good. He was probably delirious with the high temperature. Specially when he heard the singing. The soft sound of his favorite melody was helping him relax, and he felt himself falling asleep, even though he did not want to. He wanted to keep listening, whether or not it was just in his head. Would he keep dreaming about it, if he did fall asleep? Wait, was someone holding his hand? Was that someone's hand on his temple, caressing the damp hair away from his forehead?

"M-Mother?" Damian spoke, while slowly opening his eyes.

"Hey, Dami," he heard, "How are you feeling, baby bird?"

He was hallucinating. There was no other explanation to why he was seeing Grayson there. But it still felt so good. "Baby bird". Yes, that was what Mother used to call him, was it not? How did Grayson know that?

When he woke up again, he was feeling more himself. To his shock, Grayson was there, asleep at his side, holding his hand, like in the hallucination. It was no hallucination, then, was it? Did it all really happened?

"Good morning, Dami," Grayson said, waking up. "You feeling better?"

Damian just stared at him. He felt so confused, so conflicted.

"Do you still have a fever?" the omega asked while reaching his hand to Damian's forehead. "Hmm, it seems it went down. That's great!"

Damian wanted to cry. But he would not. He refused.

"W-What was my bird name?" he asked.

Grayson seemed a little surprised with the question, but then he smiled. "Why, baby bird, the same as mine!", he said, "Robin! Just like my mother used to call me when I flew on the trapeze."

He would not cry, he would not cry.

"If I let you teach me how to be an acrobat, will you call me by a more intimidating bird name? Like eagle or hawk."

Grayson blinked twice and then started laughing.

Damian cried.

***

Almost a year went on, and that Drake individual came back, all full of himself, as if a year being trained by Grandfather would make him special. He had nothing on Damian on that regard, for he was trained by Ra's al Ghul for five years. But he was there, being cooed at by Richard, as if he deserved the attention. 

Damian would not tolerate it.

***

A few more months had passed as the shocking news spread through the kingdom. Queen Lois had been assassinated. No culprit had been yet announced.

While many mourned the Queen, Damian was more concerned in knowing who would kill a Supreme Omega and why. Would they also come for Richard? Tough luck they would have. Damian would slice them in half before they could even lay eyes on his brother.

Two days later, the King came to Gotham, bringing the Prince with him. The King was very ill. It was the grieving process of a broken bond, they said. They were to babysit both father and son until the King was recovered and the Prince was sent to some other secret place, for him to be safe. 

Damian would not admit it but he felt sympathy for the kid. He also had lost his "mother" once. Although he, somehow, got "her" back. Jonathan would never have that chance. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry Lois T.T I needed you to die for plot reasons. You didn't deserve it, though.
> 
> Bad things happening aside, I loved writing this chapter. I'm a sucker for Dick & Damian brotherly almost kinda parent/child relationship 💙💙💙. It was also fun to come up with different insults for Dami to call Dick.
> 
> One last thing. I updated the warnings. I already had the tag there, from the beginning, but I've been meaning to put it officially in the warnings and kept forgetting. When it comes to those parts, I will warn you and tell you how to skip them, if you wish to do so.
> 
> Have a nice day/night!


	12. Slade - El Dynasty, Year 47

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously: While Dick was reminiscing about the exchange of letters between him and Jason, he was summoned to Slade's room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ THIS IF YOU WORRY ABOUT THE WARNING OF THIS WORK!
> 
> Okay. So this is one the chapters the warning takes effect.
> 
> If this type of thing triggers you, or you find it too uncomfortable, I'd say you should skip to the first set of ***. After the second (and last) set of *** there is something also implied there, but not really described, so you may or not want to skip it too.
> 
> Yes, skipping the entire chapter is possible, but what happened cannot be ignored, since it will be mentioned several times later.
> 
> Nothing is graphically described, I believe, just as mentioned on the tag. Most of it is implied, I guess.

Slade was sitting at his bed, waiting for Dick to show himself. Sending the omega maid from before was his way of telling him he would not accept a no for an answer. Sending one of his men was just for redundancy.

He hadn't planned on calling him. Not so soon. He had believed it would be a risk to his self control. But the truth was he was starting to lose it at that moment, anyway. He couldn't stop thinking about the omega, as if, after being so close, the distance became painful. He thought that maybe if they were to share the night, he would convince his instinctual side there was no need to fuss, the omega was his and no one else's. 

When he heard knocking, he involuntarily jerked his head up and let a pleased growl escape before composing himself.

"Come in!"

Dick entered the room as a scent wave hit Slade's nostrils. It looked like the kid was smart enough to keep his blockers and artificial scent. Though his true aroma was still detectable.

"You summoned me?" the omega asked.

"Indeed," Slade replied, his voice low.

"What do you need of me, Colonel Wilson?" Dick was still at the now closed door, with his back to it, clearly not wanting to risk to get any closer.

Slade got up and approached the omega, who tensed immediately. 

"Call me Slade. We are to be bonded, after all," he said as he dug his nose into Dick's neck, who froze with the movement. As contradicting as it was, Slade felt himself relaxing and tensing at the same time. The pain from before subdued a little, but a new need revealed itself. 

"Come! You are to spend the night here, with me."

The shock of those words seemed to wake Dick from his stupor, "The nigh-, but you said-".

"I said I would not share your next heat with you. I didn't say anything about the other days."

The kid started to look like he was holding back tears and whimpers. He could not, though, mask his scent of distress, and all that was not helping Slade at all. His instincts were screaming at him to go to his omega and comfort him, claim him, make him know he was safe. Which was another contradiction because _he_ was the cause of the omega's discomfort.

"Here," he said as he opened the drawer from his nightstand and grabbed a piece of leather cloth.

"A-a collar?" Dick whispered when Slade gave it to him.

"It's a bond collar. It will prevent me from biting you at the bonding spot."

Dick said nothing at that and immediately put the collar around his neck with his trembling hands, and locked it.

"That's it, little bird. Now come here!" He grabbed Dick's hands and led them to his bed. The omega then let out a small whimper. 

"Hush, little bird, there's no need to be scared. You will enjoy this." He then removed his own blockers, letting Dick scent him and go pliant. Slade knew this would make things easier, not just for him, but also for his omega, who was then starting to become restless with the need to bond.

Slade then proceeded to lay the omega and himself on the bed so he could take what he wanted, what _they_ needed. He felt himself drowning in his mate-to-be's scent, his lips, his warmth. And how willing his partner appeared to be with his head tilted back and eyes closed from pleasure as he continuously left soft gasps and moans pass through his mouth. Several times Slade would forget himself and try to nibble at the omega's bonding spot. Good thing he made Dick wear the collar. At these moments, Dick would try to remove it, desperate for the bite, but it was locked and only Slade had the key for it.

"It's okay, little bird. Just a few more days and we will be properly bonded," Slade said as he seized the Dick's hands from his neck. And God, the sounds his omega was making were threatening to make him lose it. He would definitely not be with him for his next heat. No leather would stand in Slade's way then. 

Still, he was eager for their first shared heat.

****************************

As he hoped, he felt calmer on the next days. Apparently Dick spent their entirety closed in his own room, except for the nights, of course, until the first signs of his heat started. 

The chamberlain, Alfred, who had been preparing Dick's hiding room for the days ahead, would stare daggers at Slade. He was impressed at the menacing aura the beta would throw at him, as it was as threatening as if he were an alpha himself. He was even more impressed at the man's self control. No matter how much disdain bled from his eyes, he would always assume a perfect poise, and keep a neutral tone to his voice and the rest of his face. 

The time Dick spent in heat was torturous to Slade. Knowing what he could be having and not being able to was leaving him anxious and irritable. He was glad he didn't know where his omega was, even though we felt the need to hunt him down.

Meanwhile, Luthor's reply came through. As expected, he accepted the request, but what was suspicious was how well he seemed to have taken the news, considering the letter. Slade was convinced Luthor would either try something to stop or sabotage the ceremony, or attempt have him killed. Probably the former, since not only Luthor still needed him, there was not really anyone out there who could take him down quietly. He would still need to take some precautions for that.

****************************

It was their bonding ceremony eve, and he was in bed with Dick, in his room. Slade had already stopped one assassination attempt on his person, followed by a kidnapping attempt on Dick, the day before. Luthor - he supposed - had been desperate enough to send the second rate assassin known as Deadshot. He was shot dead. With a crossbow bolt.

"We are soon to be bonded, little bird," Slade said. He had not yet removed his blockers because he needed Dick to understand his next words. "After we bond, you may feel the need to resist me gradually disappear. But, if that does not happen, you must understand that I will still keep my promise if you run from me. I will start with that chamberlain. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes..."

"Good boy," he said has he removed their blockers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there are any tags you believe I should add, please do tell me. I am avoiding spoilers to a certain extent but if is something that is seen as almost a rule to be in the tags, I will add it, if you warn me about them.
> 
> Next will be the last of the past chapters. After that, it will be just present days.


	13. Luthor - El Dynasty, Year 46

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously:  
> Damian came to Gotham with the intent of killing Dick, the man who murdered his mother, whom he loved dearly. After many failed attempts and getting injured during one, he came to realize the loving memories he had of his mother were actually of Dick. Tim came back after an year at Nanda Parbart. They received news of the Queen's assassination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today you'll get a double update!!!
> 
> This is the last past chapter.

They were losing the war. 

No matter how much some Lords wished the current King to be overthrown, due to his so called progressive ideas, they were too scared to actually do something about it. They needed guarantees, they would tell him. Either they believed they would win, or they would not join the rebellion.

That is what you get for having people at your side without true conviction. Most of the Lords joined him for personal gain. The world was changing and they were seeing their power diminish. Very few were persuaded to side with him because he was able to make them see the Queen died at the King's hands, so he could be in an abominable relationship with the Grand Duke. Even fewer stood by him because they truly believed the old ways to be the right ways. 

Luthor needed a miracle. 

He found said miracle when he decided to try his luck with Colonel Wilson. To many, he was an unknown Lord. One of those silly people who thought too highly of themselves but held no power whatsoever. But to those that mattered, he was quite famous. The man himself was a legend. He alone could make the work small troops could not. And he had men. True, they did not share the level of his skill, but they were still feared. If he were to recruit the mercenary, then those Lords would have their damned guarantees. 

Luthor met Colonel Wilson in person, together with some of his current allies like Lord March, Lord Thawne, Lady Shiva, and General Zod. He believed it would help convince Colonel Wilson that the matter was serious and the pay was promising. He only hoped it would not also show he was desperate. 

"I accept your proposal as long as you accept my price," Slade said with an obnoxious smirk.

That easy? "Please, do name it," Luthor replied.

"I want Gotham!"

Gotham? Why would _he_ want Gotham? He was known to prefer money and favors over lands and titles. Hell, he built his reputation by keeping a low profile.

"Gotham is a very desired county, " Luthor replied, " Its history is linked to some of the greatest Lords, even today there sits probably our greatest threat. May I ask why would you wish it, if you never aspired to ascend in the nobility ranks before?"

"I believe that, after this war, it'd be a good time for me to retire. Therefore I wouldn't need to hide my name anymore," Lord Wilson said casually. "I don't require one of the top ranks between the nobility. Just high enough for me to get Gotham. As you said before, that county is linked to the greatest Lords, and what better way to set my legacy? Specially if I am the one helping you get it."

Luthor was reluctant to accept the price. He also had his attention on Gotham, more precisely the Supreme Omega that was hidden there. He had yet to see the young man himself, though the rumors sang about his great beauty and grace. He had always been suspicious to why the Grand Duke would keep him away from public eyes at most times, but then some Lords who had seen the omega would not comment anything out of ordinary about him - besides his beauty. But then, one day, Lady Kyle lent him a secret. "You see," she whispered, "it has come to my attention that the boy uses blockers with a fake omega scent. And he is no alpha." Meaning only one thing. The Grand Duke had a Supreme Omega under his wing, and Luthor would have him, for there was no other kind of mate worthy of a King.

If Slade was to get Gotham, then things could get complicated.

"Very well," he then said, "Gotham will be yours."

He decided to make the promise for several reasons: he was desperate; Slade was his last hope; he could still demand the Supreme Omega for himself and he could have Slade killed if he happened to be too much trouble. He had time to think about it.

***

They did it! They actually did it! 

They defeated the "almighty" Grand Duke Bruce Wayne. Using Deathstroke as an element of surprise was right move. He frowned when he was informed that although Wayne was seen to be severely injured, they were unable to find his corpse. That meant that he was taken away by the enemy. Dead or alive, he could not say, but _if_ he was alive, it should have to take him some time to recover, _if_ he survived the injuries at all. And that would give him time to claim Gotham to his side.

He rushed to write the orders for Slade to ride to Gotham. Sure, it would take him some considerable time, but he did promised the duchy to the man, and he would give it to him. After that, Slade would have to inform Luthor about the hidden treasure at the castle, and Luthor would have the legitimate claim to it. If the Colonel refused, he would have the right to "remove" him from his post.

Instructions written, letter attached, bird flown. Then the best messages were to be composed, one informing Wayne's children of their imminent doom, the rest informing the kingdom of Wayne's fall. What a pity he did not have a head to present to the people. 

What a great day!

***

A letter arrived from Gotham. The news from Slade's arrival at the city, for sure. And the revelation about the oldest ward.

He was proven right. But he did not expect what was also revealed in it. Slade and Richard were compatible Supremes, and Slade had implied he had witnesses. He was asking for an urgent bonding ceremony in about two weeks, after the omega's next heat.

...

He should have found an excuse to go to Gotham himself, and claimed the Supreme Omega there and then, before Slade's arrival. He wondered if the Colonel already knew, if that was the real reason he wanted Gotham. What were the chances of them meeting like that, after all? But there was nothing Luthor could do. Getting between two compatible Supremes was seen as a grave sin, for it was believed to be God's will that the pair belonged together. Even a King could not intervene.

Luthor was not about to give up so easily, though. Two weeks was enough time to find a solution. He hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The objective of this chapter is to show a bit of Luthor's motivation. I understand it might not be as interesting, specially after the last chapter. That is why I will post another chapter, right away, after this one.


	14. Jason - El Dynasty, Year 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I guess I don't need to write a "previously" any more, since I'm posting this daily, and from now on it will be only present days.
> 
> I know some of you were waiting for this one! :D

When he first heard the news, Jason started to laugh. Bruce dead? Yeah, sure. That old man wouldn't die even if he was killed. He was probably already on his way to Gotham to regroup and come up with new strategies against the enemy.

When some days passed without hearing any news, he started to worry. Not that he believed Bruce was dead, no, but he was starting to wonder if he was in trouble.

Then a letter from Tim arrived, and he then tried not to panic. Of course that bastard Luthor would send someone to claim Gotham, And what if Bruce was in trouble - since he didn't contact him - and was not on his way to Gotham? Dick and the kids would be in danger. Fuck! Forget meeting them at Detroit, he was going to join them as soon as he could. Damn, why was he so far away? He would have to ride fast and without much rest, to get there in time. 

Roy and Kory wanted to join him as soon as Jason told them about Tim's message. Roy actually was a friend of Dick, and Kory had heard about the omega so much she felt she already knew him.

When he got to one of the checkpoint towns and got to read the second message Tim sent, he almost saw red. What the fuck was Dick thinking? Why the fuck didn't they just left weeks ago? Why did the replacement just agree with leaving Dick behind? And why did Luthor have to send Death-fucking-stroke? Fuck, fuck, fuck! 

This would probably be harder than he thought. He messaged a few of his most trusted men, he knew were close to Gotham, to keep an eye on the situation at the place, and also ordered other men to head to the county and await his arrival.

When he finally got there, he learned that Dick already was in heat and with a date set for his bonding with Slade - that would definitely not happen, no fucking way. His informants couldn't get much of the information first hand, since the omega was always kept under heavy surveillance from the beginning, though they still had access to someone who was authorized to be around him.

"Master Jason," Alfred called with emotions in his eyes. Though Slade's men also kept a close eye on the chamberlain, Alfred was very cunning and able to slip away unnoticed, so he could meet with Jason at a safe house he arranged for the purpose.

"Hey Alfie!" Jason proceeded to give a hug to the old beta. "How are you handling things?"

"I am more concerned about how _you_ are handling things, Master Jason," the chamberlain evaded as usual.

"Well enough to allow you the chance to explain yourself as why I shouldn't just go and kill that Slade fucker."

"Mind your language, Master Jason."

"Seriously? Even now?"

"Specially now, Sir. We must keep our heads cool, if we want to get Master Dick to safety before this outrageous ceremony." 

Jason could then swear he could see anger in the beta's eyes.

"What happened?" he asked. "Alfred, what did he do to him?"

"What I can say is that Master Dick is very upset with some events that trespassed. The details you will have to learn from him. But rest assured, he is still unbonded and Colonel Wilson decided not to be involved in his heat this time."

Jason started to growl at that. "I am still waiting for your reason for me not to just go and snap Slade's neck."

"Although I do not question your abilities, I have been able to confirm, first hand, Colonel Wilson's ruthlessness. It will be a great risk to make an attempt on his life. And if you were to fail, then Master Dick would have no one to help him in time."

"Fine, I'll wait for his heat to end and just smuggle him out of there, even though he seems to be more guarded than Slade himself."

"He is indeed, Sir. And to probably make things more difficult, you either need to be very convincing you are taking Master Dick away against his will, or smuggle the entire staff of the castle."

"What now?" Jason frowned.

"Colonel Wilson has threatened Master Dick to kill all the staff if he were to run."

"That fucker!" Jason spat.

"I already tried to convince Master Dick we are not his responsibility but he refuses to let it happen," Alfred continued, "This means that Master Dick will probably resist being taken away, if there is no guarantee the servants are safe, Sir. Although that would help to pass the idea he is unwilling to run, I am not sure you would be in his good graces, if you do so."

"So, basically you are saying I need to smuggle not one person but dozens, and that is still easier and safer than just killing the one?"

"Your logical thinking does not seem go have gotten worse over the years, Master Jason."

"This is not the time to sass me, Alfred."

"I would never do such thing, Sir."

***

They came up with a plan, and backup plans, and backup plans for the backup plans. 

The easiest part was to take some the servants to safety, although it required a lot of time. They started to replace those who would never, or rarely, be seen by Slade's men. Alfred had informed those he trusted of the replacements to be made - most of the staff because Bruce was very meticulous about who he hired, and the very few he did not trust completely ended up "indisposed", and thus naturally replaced. In the end, only Alfred and a few of the original staff, that would be missed by Slade or his men, remained. 

The tricky part was to know when and how to get Dick, who was still oblivious about the rescue.

Their first idea was to do it just the day before the wedding. Last preparations would most likely keep Dick and Slade apart for the day, giving them an opportunity to get close and make a commotion, while taking Dick away. The rest of the servants would know then where to go to get picked up.

But then someone else had a similar idea and tried it two days before, which failed miserably. Whoever decided to kidnap Dick didn't consider the omega would know how to defend himself. The next day, the attackers' heads, including the one of a famous assassin, were displayed at the castle outside walls. What a lovely decoration for a bonding ceremony.

Plan D, then. Strike during the ceremony. It would be riskier, but they had the advantage of having the infiltrated people who were ready for it.

The day had come, everything was set, many contingency plans defined. Not many important guests were present for most were still a little occupied with the war and with keeping their conquered counties. That meant less but more organized security. Still, that wasn't worrying Jason at all. He believed in his team and his agents. Nothing would stop them from saving Dick from this shitshow.

The chapel was big and spacious. The alpha groom was awaiting his omega by the altar. The guards were being taken down silently, one by one, on the outside. All the remaining servants - which were not expected to be at the chapel - were already being rescued. Music had started to play. Time had come, the doors opened, revealing the omega groom with a furious looking chamberlain at his side. 

They attacked.

The inside of the chapel turned into chaos. Several smoke bombs were tossed while the doors were closed and barred, disorienting both the guests and the guards. A very loud angry roar was heard. Alfred led Dick away, assuring him that everyone else had already ran, and there was no going back. There was the sound of windows breaking. Roy! The fog was already lifting. He and few of his archers had taken the high ground, and were making sure to help reduce the number of the enemy's force, as well as catch the attention to them. Roy made a signal, Slade and some of his men were exiting from the right door after managing to take down its barrier. A rain of arrows fell on them, though none seemed to have hit their main target. It didn't matter. Jason had caught up with Dick and Alfred by then, and they were going through a hidden passageway before Slade could even see them. Slade could probably still follow them through Dick's scent, but they, hopefully, were also prepared for that. Through the courtyard, several strong scent bombs exploded together with more smoke bombs, enough to mask any other scent and confuse any nose. With that, Kory made the signal of retreat.

They kept running through the labyrinthic tunnels until they reached a room where they stopped. 

"We will stop here for about ten minutes to wait for Kory and Roy," Jason said, his voice a bit raspy from the running, "We leave after that, even if one does not make it in time."

He then gained the courage to remove the red hood he was using to hide his face, and turned to Dick who had a confused look on his face.

"Hey there, Big Bird! I mean, not so big anymore, I guess," Jason smiled while Dick's eyes showed realization.

"Jay? Jaybird?"

"The one and on-" Jason was interrupted by a crushing hug from Dick. He immediately hugged him back. "I got you, Dickie bird, I got you."

"Oh, Little Wing!" Dick cried. "Not so little anymore, I guess."

Jason chuckled at that.

"What happened to you? You are so big!"

Jason laughed. "Did you know that alphas have their growth spurt only after they present?"

Dick smiled for a bit and then embraced Jason again. Jason would definitely not mind to have him in his arms while they were waiting. He held a hand on the omega's amazing thick raven waves of his head and deeply inhaled his scent.

But only then he noticed there was something wrong.

Alfred who was first looking at them with fondness in his eyes, now looked devastated. And Dick... Dick was sobbing quietly. 

"What's wrong Dickie bird?" Jason started to get nervous. "Y-you smell a bit different. Are you using a fake scent?" He was in denial.

"I'm sorry Jay, I'm so sorry." Dick was now crying.

Jason froze for a second. And then pushed Dick a bit away and removed the traditional omega wedding collar from his neck.

He had a bonding bite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this chapter, I learned I'm not really confident with writing action scenes. I hope you can somehow visualize what is happening.
> 
> I know I can be mean with where I stop a chapter, but you'll get another one tomorrow :) 💙
> 
> I am always hoping to hear from you 💙💙💙


	15. Jason - El Dynasty, Year 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? Two Jason chapters in a row? :o
> 
> It was supposed to have one more past chapter, between the two Jason ones, but then it was so short I ended up referring its events during another present chapter.

They stopped at one of their safe houses, in a small remote village along the way to Detroit, where they were headed. They would rest there for a day, gather more resources, and send some birds for news.

Only Dick was with them. Alfred had taken a different route, accompanied with some of Jason's agents. The rest of the servants were dispersed through other safe places.

Jason, Kory and Roy had been working together for about two years. Roughly since around the war started and time he came back from Nanda Parbat.

As they put themselves at ease - or as at ease as they would let themselves be - Roy took the chance to finally give Dick a hug. Jason tried not to grunt at that, and hoped he succeeded. Dick and Roy had been friends before he even knew them both, and Roy was now spoken for. He looked at Kory, to see how she was taking the sight of her lover showing such affection towards an omega. The alpha didn't seem to be jealous at all. Good for her.

Jason met Roy first, during one of his jobs in the kingdom. They decided to become partners for they realized they worked well together, that being, they were perfect at disregarding the rules book and doing things their way. People who had dealt with them would call them "The Outlaws". It was a perfect name since it implied that they were not associated with the government, making their job easier.

In one of their missions to the unstable Tamaran they ended up meeting Kory, the former youngest princess of the kingdom, who was on the run from her own sister who wished her dead. Having proving herself to be a great asset and team member, she joined the group, and they have been together ever since.

It didn't take long before Roy and Kory started dating. Many would see them as an odd pairing, others would simply disapprove the relationship, being both of them alphas. But since they were still capable of reproducing - them having different secondary genders - it was still legal. What a joke! He had hopped that, by now, the King would have taken care of that idiotic law, that only allowed mating between couples which could conceive a child. Then Luthor started the rumor that Clark had killed Lois so he could be with Bruce. Like, what the fuck? Who would believe that? Some did, evidently. Because of that, some people would still have to fear to be in certain relationships, to be with their loved ones, for way too long after the war, even if they won. 

"Hey Blue! I haven't seen you in ages." Roy said fondly.

"Hey Speedy! I've missed you." Dick hugged Roy back, because that was his natural state. The guy probably would literally die if he didn't share any kind of physical affection with someone for more than a week.

"Dick, meet Kory, my girlfriend," Roy said has he pointed a hand to Kory. "Kory, this is Dick, obviously."

"Nice to meet you, Kory," Dick extended his hand.

Jason at that moment remembered something he should had never forgotten. 

Before Jason could react, Kory took Dick's hand and pulled the omega to her and kissed him. Not on the cheeks, like they did in some Europa kingdoms. It was on the lips. Dick was just wide-eyed frozen.

"Nice to meet you, Dick," she said as she let go of the omega.

Jason was fuming.

"Hey, calm down Jay! You know this is just how they do it on Tamaran!"

Jason noticed then he was also growling. Dick was apparently still processing what had happened.

"We are _not_ on Tamaran, and Dick is not aware of such traditions, which I'm still not convinced to be one hundred percent accurate! The fuck, guys! Have some fucking tact!"

Like, seriously. Dick had just been forced to bond not long ago.

"I'm sorry, pretty O. Sometimes I forget I am not on Tamaran but on a kingdom with unreasonably prude people which take my way of greeting people as if it is a scandal."

"Oh, er-, i-it's okay, I-I guess. Sorry, I was just surprised." Luckily Dick didn't seem negatively affected by what just happened, just confused.

"Don't apologize, Dick, she knows well people here don't greet with a kiss." Jason said as he turned to Roy. "And you were totally enjoying it."

"Wha-, me? Why would I enjoy watching my girlfriend kiss my friend? You wound me, Jay! Please don't make your fantasies my own. You know how Kory is, and you did nothing!"

"Okay, that's it! Come here so I can kick your sorry ass!" Jason started to chase Roy who was running away like a little kid.

"Careful, Jay," Kory said, "I need that ass intact for what I have in mind. It's been a while since we had the opportunity to have some time for ourselves."

Dick's face turned a deep shade of red, but started laughing at the whole ridiculous scene around him. That made Jason feeling warm inside, happy to see the omega could still take his mind out of all the shit that has happened.

"You can join us too, pretty O," Kory winked at Dick who was then completely stunned as if he were trying to understand if she was joking or being serious.

"Stop! You two, go to your room, do whatever you wish with each other, and please avoid contact with Dick for like _ever_!" 

"Okay, okay," Roy then dragged Kory to their assigned room. "We were just playing a bit, no need to get all bitchy."

"I'll bitch your ass if you don't shut the fuck up."

"Stop there, Jason. That is my job! You do yours," Kory smirked as she closed the door.

Jason blushed hard at the implication. He was trying hard to not let his imagination run too far.

"Wow," a voice woke him up from his daydream. "Alfred and Bruce would be so proud if they heard you talk like that." Dick chuckled.

"Well, they are not here, are they? Best take advantage of it!" Jason said lightly. "Well then, you should also go to sleep, I'm sure you are exhausted. I know I am."

Dick yawned. For fuck's sake. How could a full grown man look so adorable while yawning?

"See? You take the other room."

"But where will you sleep, Jay?" They were at a "small" cabin. If you compared it to a castle where Dick lived half of his life. It had a living room with a small kitchen and two also small bedrooms. For many commoners from the cities, it was a palace.

Jason pointed to the sofa. "They say it's the best this place has to offer." Dick pouted at that. So fucking cute.

"Sleep with me?"

"W-what now?" Jason blinked at the omega, after almost chocking.

"Don't be like that! It's not like we haven't been sleeping side by side for the last few days." It was true. But there is a difference from when you are in the middle of the woods, sleeping at a camp site with Roy and Kory also with them, and taking turns to for the watch, to sleeping in the same bed, like, under the same sheets, just the two of them in a small and cozy room.

Still probably waiting for a reply, Dick lowered his head and gazed at Jason with watery bright blue eyes peeking through his long dark lashes. Jason's heart skipped a beat. "Your scent if comforting, Jay. I feel I would sleep better that way." Okay, then. That was it. So long everybody, Jason Todd was leaving the world of the living behind, since his heart stopped completely.

"Jay?"

"Su-*cough*-sure, whatever not-so-Big Bird." Jason had no idea how he would survive the night. Sleep was probably not on the menu.

***

"You comfortable, Dicky bird?" Jason asked after they laid on the bed and covered themselves with the goddamn blessed warm sheets. 

Dick shuffled closer to him, leaning his pretty head to his chest, as Jason stopped breathing.

"Yes, thanks Jaybird."

_Breathe Jason, breathe. He's Dick. He clearly wants some contact, you should feel obliged to comply._ Jason then wrapped his arm around Dick who let out a contented sigh. _Just keep breathing and you will survive this._

Jason then noticed Dick's bonding bite on his neck. The ugly thing still red and bruised, laying there as if to mock him. He felt anger building inside him. He didn't know exactly what happened. He wanted to know to which extent that Slade fucker had taken advantage of Dick. But he would not ask, he didn't know if he should, so soon. We would wait for Dick to tell him himself. He only hoped Dick would trust him, to feel comfortable enough with him to do so.

"It's okay, Jay." Only then he noticed he had been tracing the mark with his thumb.

"It's not okay! It is far from okay! If I had helped you sooner, you wouldn't have _this_. He wouldn't hold such power over you."

"You had to wait. It was the only way to guarantee everyone was safe." Dick said as he looked him in the eyes. "If that was the price to pay, then I am glad to have paid for it."

"It's not right, Dick. He had no right!"

"Don't worry, there are ways to break the bond."

"Yeah but you will suffer greatly for it. And if it true that you two are compatible, then won't it be like, even worse? Couldn't the grieving process be fatal to you?" 

Jason then remembered his mother. She had never been a healthy woman for what he remembered. He always had this idea of a very fragile omega on his memories. Then one day she just fell very ill, and died shortly after. He later came to know that his father had died around the same time, killed when caught stealing. His mother died of a broken bond due to her mate's death. Sure Dick was not fragile nor ill, not at all. But this business of compatible Supremes, that even took Dick's own control of his body, was worrying him.

"Then, we just have to catch Slade alive, and hope he lives a long life. He sure looks to take good care of his health, you know." Dick tried to pretend he was taking the situation lightly, but Jason could notice the small tremblings at the mention of that Slade bastard. Great! Dick was the victim here, and he was still the one trying to assure Jason that better days would come.

"But what if you want to bond with someone else, Dickie? You won't be able to!" _Why won't you shut up, Jason? Are you trying to make him fucking depressed?_

"Oh, Jaybird," Dick raised his hand and let it rest at Jason's cheek. "If it is something that my partner would be prepared to also give up on, I wouldn't care less about the bonding bite." He smiled as he said those words. "All I would want would be for him to be happy at my side."

He was resisting the urge to just squeeze the omega so hard. Of course Dick would be like that. Always the optimist. But yeah, if the omega were to want to be with him and ask him to "overlook" the bonding process, then hell yeah he would accept in a heartbeat.

Wait a second.

"Him?" Jason realized, "You already have someone you wish to be with?" 

Dick chuckled and then sighed, "And I'm supposed to be the naive one." He leaned his head back to Jason's chest. "Good night, not-so-Little Wing."

_What does that mean? What does that mean? What does that mean? Is it possible that he is talking about... Just ask him, damn it! Grow some balls and ask him!_ Geez, if that was true he should be ashamed to let the omega do all the work there.

"Dick, are you perha-" he stopped when he realized Dick had already fallen asleep.

***

A week later, after long hours of riding, many detours to avoid obvious paths, and too few hours of sleep, they managed to arrive to Detroit where they regrouped with everyone.

The welcoming party consisted on many important faces like the members of the King's council: Princess Diana Prince of Themyscira, Archduke John Jones, Dukes Barry Allen and Victor Stone, Marchioness Dinah Lance, and Marquesses Hal Jordan and Oliver Queen and John Stewart. There were also some other familiar faces around - mostly Dick's friends- like Wally, Donna, Conner, Kara, Barbara and her father. But most importantly, King Clark himself was there. It seems the guy was alive and well, after all.

The King gave Dick a big hug that engulfed the omega who looked so tiny then, since Clark was huge.

"Welcome, Dick," Clark said with familiarity. "We are happy you made it here safely. Come, all of you. So you can take some time to rest."

Dick hesitated for a bit. "Er- Uncle Clark?"

"Yes, Dick? Do you need something?"

"Where are-"

"RICHARD!" a loud voice screeched as a fast small blurry shadow latched onto Dick.

"Dami!"

Soon after, the replacement also sprouted out of nowhere, joining the tight embrace. Jason was surprised Damian didn't complain. He had not yet had the "pleasure" of dealing with the kid as part of the family, but he knew the brat alright. Everyone knew about the demon spawn at Nanda Parbat. He had been almost glad when he was replaced with the replacement - hah.

Dick was already crying with a big smile on his face. He proceeded to kiss the heads of both of his brothers and turned to Clark, once more.

"Do you have any news about Bruce?"

Clark gave them a solemn expression.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must confess that, at first, I was trying to make a reference to Kory kissing Dick when she met him (in the comics) in a very lighthearted and funny way. But then I realized how stupid that was, specially when it could have been something triggering for Dick, and ended up rewriting it >.< I'm still not 100% happy with the result though.
> 
> Still, hope you enjoy :)


	16. Clark/Bruce - El Dynasty, Year 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter, two POVs!!!

**Clark**

They had received news from Bruce just a week before Dick, Jason and the others arrived.

As suspected, Bruce had been seriously injured in the Battle of Stars. If it weren't for Lady Kyle, who defected from Luthor's side, Bruce would probably be dead. That itself killed him a bit inside. He could not lose Bruce! He could not do anything without him. Losing Lois was painful enough. Not only because of the grieving process, natural due to the broken bond, but also because he lost one of his best friends, someone whom he really loved, his son's mother. 

He still suspected Luthor was behind the assassination. Her death made him vulnerable, giving his "friend" the chance to go against him. He also learned that the former Marquess was spreading rumors about his relationship with Bruce. He could only blame himself for that. It was not due to Bruce's lack of warnings. The man was constantly calling him to attention not to be flirty, even when they were alone. Whatever made Luthor suspect something, it was enough to use to spread his propaganda about the "selfish" and "wicked" King who would murder his own Supreme Omega wife just to be with another alpha. He felt the taste of bile in his mouth from how sick it make him, thinking about someone who he once called _friend_ , whom he defended when others wanted his head cut off, accuse him of such evil act. 

He should have punished Luthor more severely. Not give him any kind of power before he could prove himself worthy of it. Just as Bruce advised. That man was always right, wasn't he?

Bruce... the message they received mentioned he was on his way and would arrive soon. He had to spend some time recovering from his injuries before he was able to travel. Clark believed he was probably still far from healthy enough to go through such journey. But leave it to the alpha to be proud and stubborn about himself. He would bet his -unstable- crown the man would arrive and start planning the attack a second later, if he wasn't already planning it, while on his way. Clark was already imagining Bruce covered in white bandages turning red as he presented his flawless strategy. That thought made him shudder. He would not let that happen! He would drag the alpha to the bed himself, if needed. And that thought made him blush. Damn, why did thinking about Bruce made such _things_ to him?

***

A few days later, Diana received news that the Amazon troops were almost arriving. She had called them as soon as the war started to take a turn for worse. He had also called upon King Arthur from Atlantis, an old ally, who was also on his way with his army to aid them.

Keeping a low profile to have time to gather help from the outside was, obviously, Bruce's idea. Luthor had taken them by surprise right from the beginning, but initially they were able to keep the rebellion contained. But then the tables had turned as Luthor gained more allies in a short period of time. Later Clark understood that happened because he got Colonel Slade Wilson to agree to fight for him. After that, it was easier to convince some key Lords to join him, and with them, others more. This turned everything complicated to their side. 

Bruce warned that engaging with the enemy with their current force would bring too many casualties without guarantees of success. He believed they should focus on gathering more allies, from both inside and outside, so they could improve their chances without too much slaughter, even if they had to sacrifice some of the main duchies, and even the capital itself. Bruce believed that Luthor's authority was precarious, and re-conquering should be simple enough, if the enemy were to understand they had no chance of winning. And since he, King Clark, has proven to be benevolent and merciful, the rebelling Lords would, most likely, not fear surrender. They would still fight here and there to avoid suspicion, but they always tried to pick up battles they believed they could win, avoiding lowering their numbers.

So that's what they were doing at that moment. Waiting. Waiting for the right moment to strike back, while keeping hidden away. 

Clark hated it. He felt powerless.

\---

**Bruce**

Bruce was finally arriving to Detroit. They were making camp for the night, but they were to arrive in just a few days.

He had been caught by surprise at the Battle of Stars that should have been a small and easy affair, since Luthor had been busy with taking Metropolis, on the other side of the realm. But he never thought Colonel Wilson would join Luthor, specially at a time when their defeat was near. 

He knew about the man, who he was, and how dangerous and influential he could be. But the man was known for being a mercenary with no sides but the one that would favor him the most. And Bruce had not seen what Luthor could offer the man, that Clark could not, so he expected the Colonel to come to them to hear their counter-offer, in case Luthor tried to hire his services. Bruce did not believe Luthor would offer him the only known Supreme Omega bachelor in the kingdom, just like that. Specially when the Marquess himself was unbonded and had shown interest in said omega.

That was it. Bruce did not think, he did not believe, and now he had risked his sons lives.

He was not receiving any news from the kids, nor from Detroit. He was only risking sending messages to the county, not getting their replies to some checkpoint towns. And, because of that, he was worried. The only information he was getting were the rumors and the official proclamations, which were not good. Wilson was to be the new Lord of Gotham, officials informed. Wilson was to be bonded to the _former_ Grand Duke's omega ward, which happened to be also a Supreme Omega compatible with the Colonel, rumors said.

The day he heard about the wedding from reliable sources, he wanted to strangle Selina. Only his extensive training of self-control kept him from doing so. That and the fact he was still far for a one hundred percent recovery, from the injury he got in battle. Injury he survived _because_ of Selina. 

The omega had confessed she had hinted Luthor that Dick was a Supreme Omega.

She expected Luthor to be more aggressive, and to take some actions that would expose him for the traitor he was, and never stopped being. She did not trust the Marquess for one bit, and wanted him out of their ranks. What she did not understand was that the alpha was actually an intelligent man, and would not succumb to his instincts that easily.

Selina later joined Luthor's side when he came to her. She knew she did not have many chances against him, and used the "favor" she previously did to the man, as a way to remind him she was his ally. With that, Selina was able to gather important information on the enemy, though she was not able to leak much of it before deflecting. And, as it seemed, Luthor did not trust her completely, for she had not been informed of the hiring of Colonel Wilson. 

During the _Battle of Stars_ , she kept eyes on the current events, having agents on both sides. She learned then about Bruce's fall and, immediately after the battle, she sent some people to look for her friend, who found him almost dead on the remains of the battlefield. 

Now he was on his way to join with the King and the rest of the council, so they could finally make plans of attack. 

"Is it true what Luthor has been saying about you and the King?" Lady Stephanie Brown asked. She was a teenage girl, currently beta, but with some good chances of presenting as an alpha, if her personality was any indicator. She was one of the kids Selina sent to get him. The girl was actually Lord Arthur Brown's daughter, who had joined the rebels. That made Bruce first suspect her to be a double agent, but soon he understood that was not the case. Although she was impulsive and with no filter between her thoughts and her tongue, she was clearly a good person. She reminded him of Jason, in that aspect. 

"That you two are..., you know?" She continued, and Bruce looked at her with a less than amused face. "I mean, are you two really fu-"

"Hey, have some tact, Steph, will you?" Lord Duke Thomas, an alpha teenage boy interrupted. Selina helped the kid after one of the battles where his parents had gone missing. He had joined her, with hopes of finding them. "If you truly believe the King's innocence, then that is none of your business."

"Huh, I was just curious. There is no harm in asking, is there?"

"Well, you harm discretion. Right Cass?"

"..." was the only reply Lord Thomas got.

Cassandra was a complicated case. Apparently she had a very problematic relationship with her parents, who saw her as a mean to an end. They had neglected the omega girl to an extent she would barely speak. Bruce had every intention to bring her home, has another ward of his. The girl had already agreed. 

"See?" Duke said.

"She didn't say anything!"

"Silence gives consent."

"Oh, shut up. That is so not true."

They kept arguing about nonsense, while Cassandra approached Bruce and sit by his side.

"Worry with no power to act is of no use but to wear out its bearer," she said to him, as if she was reading his mind. 

"I am very aware of that, Cassandra. Unfortunately, I am still not able to control those emotions to the extent of not feeling them at all," he said.

"Just to the extent of ignoring them?"

"Or trying to," he sighed. "We should rest, now," he said to all of the present, "I believe we can arrive to our destination in two days, at maximum."

If it were up to him, he would not rest at all before reaching Detroit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to keep each chapter between around 1000 and 3000 words. Clark's chapter ended up way shorter than 1000 words and since I wanted to write a Bruce chapter after that, I was like, why not put them together?


	17. Slade - El Dynasty, Year 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I re-read every chapter a million times, and I find a typo everytime I do so. Sometimes I suspect the letters and words just change between themselves just to make fun of me :P

Wrath was not a strong enough word to describe what he was feeling. 

As the smoke bombs were released and the doors closed, hiding his groom from view, Slade shouted in fury. He realized he had little time to stop the attackers from stealing his omega. He ran to one of the side doors, grabbing his gear he had concealed nearby, calling some of the men, he found on his way, to help him. The windows above shattered and arrows flew in. He started working on the door as he shouted to the rest of his men to take down the enemy archers. As they slammed the door down, Slade took a shield from one of the men and stepped outside. A wave of arrows met him, but none hitting him, as he used the shield for protection. He couldn't see where Dick was taken, but he could still scent him. That was until more smoke bombs, as well as scent bombs, were thrown around the courtyard, blocking his sight and confusing his scent with strong, putrid stenches. 

The enemy had retreated. He lost him...

***

As it happened, they also took all the servants too. This was a very well prepared coup, and he was sure the chamberlain was on it. He should have killed the old man when he had the chance. The only thing that had stopped him was the attachment his omega had to the beta. Dick saw him as family, a grandfather figure, and killing him would probably destroy all the chances Slade had of getting Dick's affection one day.

All of this was probably kept from his pretty bird. That or he was an exceptional actor capable of even faking his fear and distress scents.

Now he only needed to know exactly who took him or, at least, where. Clearly it was someone on the enemy side, or else they wouldn't bother rescuing the servants. 

Slade sent word for his agents around the kingdom to keep a lookout for the fugitives, and put every men he could looking out for secret passages around the castle. He had made Alfred tell him about them, but clearly he was not shown all. Right then, the memory of the beta's anger written in his eyes at the chapel's doors was giving him some satisfaction. 

One thing Slade was glad he did was claiming Dick the previous night. He had prepared to have someone or something interrupting the ceremony and although he didn't actually think they would succeed, he didn't want to take any chances. The Supreme Omega was now his, and there was no way to reverse it without putting his life in danger. There have been no accounts of how hard and painful it would be for a compatible to go through the grieving process of a broken bond. For all everyone knew, it could be fatal, even for a young and healthy Supreme. Of course, that also meant that he himself was at risk, if someone decided to kill Dick in hopes to take Slade down. But he doubted his kidnappers would do so. Their priority was clearly to take Dick away, and not kill Slade. At that moment, if anyone would try something like that, would be Luthor, and even then he'd most likely try to break the bond without killing the omega, if there was a chance for him to survive. That would still leave Slade in a weakened position, unable to prevent his head of being cut off. 

But he was confident Luthor would not get the kid. Slade still had the advantage.

He also had to find a good excuse to leave Gotham. Whatever happened, if he were to get his omega himself, he could be renouncing the claim to Gotham, for leaving it defenseless. It wouldn't actually be defenseless, though. In the meantime, the rest of his troops had arrived to the county with Wintergreen leading them. He would trust the man to take charge of the place while he was gone. But Luthor would not see it as such. He could call Slade in, at any time, discover him to be absent from his post, and probably get suspicious that he didn't care that much about Gotham, after all. Then the new king would have a good excuse to declare him a traitor.

He needed patience. His men would find where Dick was taken and keep an eye on things. At first opportunity, he would get his mate back, and cut down anyone who would put themselves in his path to achieve it. 

***

His patience was later rewarded and luck finally came back to his side.

He received the news that his omega was seen in Detroit county. 

At around the same time, Luthor had announced his coronation date, believing their victory was guaranteed. Slade was not so sure. His spies at Detroit had informed him of all the movements around a compound in the woods, that was supposed to be abandoned. He doubted it was all just to hide a Supreme Omega.

Since the war was still going and many of the conquered counties were still unstable, the king-to-be asked for each Lord and Lady to send a trusted representative in their stead to serve as witnesses of his ascension, so they would not leave their lands unguarded.

This was the opportunity he needed. He delegated one of his most trusted men to ride to Metropolis while he let Wintergreen managing things in his place.

It was time for Dick to return to where he belonged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slade just won't quit D:


	18. Bruce - El Dynasty, Year 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some awaited stuff happens here! 
> 
> Sorry, posting this a few hours later than usual. Hope you enjoy it! :D

"B!" Dick loudly exclaimed and ran to him, as soon as Bruce entered the room, where he was told his children were gathered. The omega tightly embraced him and he could not bite down a grunt of pain. 

"Oh! Sorry! I though you were recovered?" The omega said, with a small grin and just a tiny hint of guilt. He did it on purpose, his way of scolding him for being careless with his own body. Bruce refrained from saying anything against it, when he noticed the boy's tired look and reddish eyes. He also had a strange scent to him, which was bothering Bruce deeply.

Tim and Damian quickly followed, but abstained to hug him, thankfully.

"Father," Damian acknowledged, trying but failing to hide his emotions in his slightly trembling voice.

"Bruce, are you sure you are alright?" Tim asked, moving around him as if to inspect his injuries, showing true concern.

Dick frowned at his brothers,. "Come here, you all! This is totally the time for a group hug!" 

"Dick," Bruce grunted. But the kids listened to their big brother, as usual. At least this time, they were careful not to hurt him. 

It felt nice and warm, being with his children once again, them safe and seemingly sound. There was only one missing.

"No way I'm joining you there!" a familiar voice said.

"Jason!" Bruce noticed the young man at the door opposite to the one he entered from. Next to him, also stood his old friend, "Alfred!"

"Hey there, old man!" Jason greeted.

"Sir." Alfred acknowledged.

His whole family was safe, thank goodness.

He then remembered he left someone at the door, to introduce to everyone, and signaled them to enter the room.

"Boys, this is Cassandra Cain. She had a very important role in helping me to get here, along with her friends. After all this is over, I'll take her in, officially, as my new ward."

Cassandra nodded once at that, and said nothing.

"Oh. My. God. YES! We are _finally_ having a sister!!!" Dick jumped at the news. "And another omega? Awesome! Hey there, Cass! I'm Dick, by the way! Sorry Timmy, you are the odd one out, now, 'cos Dami is definitely going to be an alpha." That was not a stereotype observation about Damian's personality. He had felt that youngest was starting to have a faint alpha scent, when they hugged.

Tim came forward, ignoring Dick. "Nice to meet you, Cassandra. I am Timothy, but you can call me Tim." 

Cassandra nodded again. "Nice to meet you." She said, looking at her brothers-to-be.

Damian made a face of discontentment and grunted something. A greeting or a threat, Bruce could not say.

"Ugh, you just can't help it, can you?" Jason said, "You just go around picking up the strays."

Bruce ignored the comment. "Hope you all get along. There are other people I would like you to meet too, but right now there are more pressing matters."

He really wished he could just take a break and talk to his kids. Specially Jason and Dick. He had not seen the alpha for three years, and the omega looked like he was not faring too well, even though he was pretending nothing was wrong.

Dick noticed that Bruce had realized something was up with him and quickly commented on that with a whisper. "We'll talk later, don't worry."

"There are more pressing matters, indeed." Bruce heard Clark's voice as the King entered the room, together with some members of the council.

"Your Majesty. Ladies, Lords." Bruce acknowledged.

"Lord Wayne, I wish to speak to you in private, before we all assemble in the war room," the King spoke with authority.

Everyone exited the room after those words, leaving Bruce and Clark alone, as the latter requested.

"Your Highness, I believe we should meet right away with every-" Bruce was interrupted when Clark suddenly and unexpectedly grabbed his face and pulled him into a kiss. 

He was completely caught out of his guard. He had never been that audacious, at least not after they both got bonded to their respective omegas. Even before that, Clark almost acted he needed to ask him permission for just a simple kiss, most of the times. _But their mates were both tragically gone now._ Bruce kissed him back. _What was the use of resisting?_ Oh right! The rumors Luthor were spreading about them, of course. If people were to confirm their relationship, they might also believe the parts that were lies to be true.

"St-, stop!" Bruce pushed Clark away, and the other man let go of him. "We cannot-"

"Shush!" Clark said authoritatively. Bruce felt his own eyes widen. "I know we _should_ not. But I was so damn worried, Bruce. I thought I would lose you." Clark then stepped away, and cleared his throat. "We can go back to being all business, now. I know you are hiding some bad injuries underneath that clothing, so you will now be seen by our doctors."

"Clark we ha-"

"Your King is speaking!" Clark said with a very serious expression in his face.

Bruce went completely silent and still.

"King Arthur from Atlantis is arriving with his troops in a few days, together with Princess Diana's amazons. Meanwhile you can and _will_ rest. When, and only when he arrives, we will discuss the plans. Understood?"

"Yes, your Majesty." Bruce replied with no hesitation.

"Very well," Clark relaxed and gave him a soft smile. "You are dismissed. And expected at the infirmary, right away. After that, you need to have a talk with your kids."

Clark then left the room, leaving Bruce standing still in its middle, still stupefied with the King's reaction. And somewhat grateful. He felt like he had been craving for that all this time, after forcing himself to repress it for so long.

Now he may need to concentrate to stop himself from wanting more.

***

After following the King's orders and visiting the doctor, good old Leslie Thompkins, who spent the entire time reprimanding him for his carelessness, Bruce went to find his children. He had the orders to stay in bed until the doctor said otherwise, but he guessed that could wait just a little. After all, the King also said he needed to talk with the boys after his examination. He never specified he needed to be in bed for that.

As he approached the room he was told he would find the kids, he heard a heated argument. The voices told him it was between Jason and Damian. He should have known they would not get along that well.

"Stop being such a brat! One would've thought you would outgrow your shitty attitude, after spending some time at Gotham." Jason yelled as Bruce entered the room.

"Because you are a perfect model of excellent behavior, right?" Damian yelled back. "You, the alpha Father had to send away, because you could not control yourself around Richard!"

"The fu-" That seemed to have caught Jason by surprise. And Bruce too. Who told him that? "Who the fuck told you that?" 

Damian glanced quickly at Tim, who was with his mouth and eyes wide open. "What does that matter?"

"Was it you, replacement?" Jason snarled at Tim.

"Hey! I just made that up at the time, to give Damian a good reason to behave around Dick! Are you telling me it is actually true?" Tim said, incredulous.

Bruce was having such an headache he raised both his hands to his face.

"Jay..." Dick spoke. The omega must have been so still during all this time Bruce did not even noticed he was there.

Jason looked at his eldest with many conflicting emotions written in his eyes, and then decided to storm out of the room. "Well, fuck you! I'm done dealing with brats who know nothing!"

"Jason, wait!" Dick called, with concern in his voice, as he moved to follow his bro-, his frie-, whatever he saw him as, at the moment.

"Dick, wait, we need to talk!" Bruce asked but Dick continued.

"I'm not sure I want to talk with you right now, Bruce." The omega was clearly upset with him.

"I know, but this is important. You may want to hear me, before you talk with him."

Dick then stopped.

"Damian, Tim, please leave the room. I need to talk with your brother alone."

"But Father-" Damian interjected.

"Now!" Bruce ordered.

They left.

"Go ahead," Dick said as he crossed his arms with a frown on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When will they all get a break? Who knows?


	19. Dick - El Dynasty, Year 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I REALLY hope this one doesn't disappoint!!!

Dick was livid. 

It was always the same with Bruce. He would always give you the idea you were free to do as you pleased, but soon you would realize that it was only if he agreed with it. Otherwise, he would even make decisions for you without consulting you whatsoever.

Learning, just now, that Bruce sent Jason away because of him was infuriating. What was holding him from just barging out of the room was Bruce's obvious guilt written in his obvious exhausted expression. Since Bruce was never really obvious at his emotions, that was saying something. And, no matter what, the alpha was still his father, and he loved him very much. 

"Things didn't happen the way they were implied just now," Bruce finally said.

Dick just waited for him to continue.

"Firstly, I already had in mind to offer Jason the chance to continue his training around the kingdom and world. Secondly, I had a very calm talk with Jason about it, who understood the importance of doing so, at the time. At least I believe he did. He never really complained about the decision, and you know he is not one to keep his opinions to himself."

Dick slightly huffed, agreeing with the last statement.

"As for what really happened to lead to that decision, I will then let Jason explain to you himself. But he did nothing wrong, that I can assure you."

"I never believed he did."

Bruce gave him a small smile at that. Dick's anger was then almost completely depleted. No matter how many times they argued, he could never be mad at Bruce for long.

"Okay, then. Great talk! I will see Jason, now."

"Wait. I also need to talk to you about what happened in Gotham. I have been mostly kept in the dark, since the battle."

Dick hesitated. That was something he didn't really want to talk about. Not at the time. And not to a barely-standing-almost-zombie-looking Bruce.

"I will see you later, today, and report to you. You should go rest. I bet you are not even supposed to be standing right now."

Bruce just grunted something, clearly busted.

"Go rest then! I'll see you later," Dick shouted as he ran through the door. 

He needed to find the alpha. He just hoped he was still inside the compound. 

As it happened, Jason was easy to find. Dick only had to follow his scent, that was strongly mixed with some negative emotions he wished he could help dissipate.

When he entered Jason's quarters, after knocking at the door, the alpha looked at him and started to panic. "Dick! I-I'm sorry! I know I should have told you. But I couldn't, I didn't want you to know. I was so fucking embarrassed, and I thought you would hate me and-"

"Hush, Jason! It's okay."

"I'm sorry, it's just-" he paused, "It is?"

"I don't know what really happened, but I can guess. I mean, now that I think of it, I feel stupid for not realizing it sooner. I did wake up, one day, after one of my heats, with a strong and unfamiliar alpha scent in my room. Not many days later you depart to your journey around the world, so quickly I could barely say goodbye to you."

Jason blushed with obvious embarrassment. "I presented that day," he confessed, "I followed your scent to your room. I didn't know what was happening at the time. But it was Bruce who prevented me for doing something unforgivable to you. We talked about it, then."

"And he told you you had to leave?"

"Yes, but I agreed with him. Maybe not for the same reason has him, though."

"What were the reasons?"

"Bruce wanted me to meet other people. He believed my crush on you would fade if I met someone else."

"And yours?"

"I just didn't want to lose control again and hurt you."

"Oh Jaybird," Dick said as he approached the alpha and hugged him. "And all this time, I believed you didn't really have that kind of interest in me."

"I'm sorry, I did try to keep you believing that I didn't, since you never seen _me_ like that, and I didn't want to push you away." Jason seemed confused that Dick was embracing him, but did wrapped his arms around him anyway.

"It's true that I only started considering it, after you started sending me those letters. I guess I was moved by all the trouble you had to get them to me," he smiled and Jason's expression was starting to get hilarious, showing how oblivious the alpha was. "Are you telling me you never noticed how I flirted with you in those replies, or do you believe I am like that to anybody?"

"I-um, I don-"

That was it. Dick was tired of hinting and waiting. To hell with the "omegas are not expected to make the first move" crap. They were Waynes, they didn't follow the rules of polite society anyway. So he kissed him. Shyly and tentatively, at first. A very short first, for Jason finally understood what Dick was offering him, giving him permission to, and he took it wholeheartedly, turning their kiss into a hungry one.

As soon as Dick's hands started to explore Jason's body, up and down, the alpha did the same to him. He was still awaiting permission for other things, apparently. Dick let out an involuntary chuckle. He thought that maybe Jason wouldn't like that reaction, but the younger man did not seem to care.

They found themselves falling into the bed, with Jason above Dick. Jason snapped out of his daze, with the sudden movement, and pushed away from Dick who frowned at the lack of contact. "Sorry! I didn't mean to go too fast. I mean, is not that I don't want to, but I-um, do you?"

"Jaybird, it means a lot to me that you are worried about my boundaries and all, but please, please, just do whatever you want to do. If I'm not okay with something, I'll tell you to stop. I trust you completely to do so. Not that I believe I will ask you to, any-"

It was Jason that sealed their lips together, this time, continuing where they left off. Dick was in a state of pure bliss. He hadn't felt like that since, like, ever. All his worries and the terrors haunting his head the past weeks were completely gone at that moment, along with their clothes.

Jason's scent felt somewhat wrong in his nose, because of the bond he already had. His mind, though? Couldn't care less. What he felt for Jason was enough to bypass whatever initial reaction his bonded body was having to the "strange" alpha, to the point of preparing itself to accept him.

Jason was so gentle and careful with his thrusts, as if he was afraid to break him, making Dick a pleading mess, wanting more, until Jason complied and they both lost themselves in the moment.

Dick was so close. And he felt Jason was too, when he felt the extra pressure. "Dick... Fuck! C-Can I?..." The question confirmed it.

"Yes!" He moaned. "Yes please!"

He only wished they could have made it last longer.

***

"I promised Bruce I'd talk to him today, about what happened when he was away," Dick told Jason.

They were still in bed, already untied. Jason hummed while he gently kissed Dick's neck and head. "Can't it wait for tomorrow?"

"I rather not. Will you come with me?"

Jason stopped "You sure you want me there?"

"Yes," he sighed, "there are still some things you don't know about and probably should." He had only told Jason about the bonding. Not about all the other nights. "And I would feel better if I would not have to go through it twice."

Dick was with his back turned to Jason and couldn't see the alpha's face, but he could feel him tense.

"Of course I will go with you."

"Thank you Jay."

Truth was, he didn't want to talk about it at all. But he was afraid that if they didn't learn from him, they would eventually learn from someone else.

***

When they entered Bruce's room, the man was with a frown on his face, clearly not happy to be in bed. Alfred was there, probably making sure Bruce was resting and not trying to find a loop hole in the doctor's order.

Then the older alpha turned to them with a knowing look, probably due to their scents being mixed. They both blushed hard at that, as they seated next to Bruce's bed.

"You smell different from before, Dick. And I don't mean your scent is mixed with Jason's." 

The scent of an omega changes after bonding. It stops being as strong and sweet, and gets faintly combined with their partner's scent, supposedly to warn other alphas the omega was already taken. Naturally, that at the moment, Slade's scent was being outweighed by Jason's.

"I shall leave now, Sirs." Alfred said, reading the situation. "Please ring the bell if anything is needed." he continued, before leaving the room.

Dick then proceeded to explain everything that happened since they got that accursed letter from Luthor. Most of it, Bruce and Jason already had learned from Alfred, so there was not much of a reaction. The rest of it, though, filled the room with an intoxicating smell of anger, that made Dick become alert and uncomfortable.

"Both of you, stop looking like this is all your fault!"

"No, it's not _our_ fault. It is _my_ fault," Bruce said, "In my arrogance I left Gotham, you, defenseless."

"It would not make much difference if Slade caught you by surprise at Gotham or at Star."

"You don't know that."

"Yeah, but you also don't know that if things were different, you would be still alive right now. So stop muttering about what could have been. You too Jason!"

"Dickie..." Jason said with a raspy voice. "Fuck!"

Dick was waiting for a reprimand from Bruce that never came.

"I mean, everything inside me is screaming to kill that fucker, right now. But I can't, and that is so fucking frustrating."

"Jason, whether Slade bonded with me or not, he should not be killed. Right, Bruce?"

Bruce didn't reply.

"Oh, come on! Don't you guys be all full on alpha with me, please. I don't need that crap right now," he sighed, "I need normalcy... Please."

Both alphas started then to calm down just the bit.

"And everyone needs you both on your wits." Dick continued. 

"Is there any chance that he got you..." Bruce apparently did not know how to approach the subject. Luckily, Dick understood what he was about to ask.

"No. Alfred helped me make sure it didn't happen. Special tea, and such."

Jason seemed lost at first, and then caught up with the meaning. The idea of Dick being with Slade's child was clearly passing his mind now, if the anger on his face and scent was any indication.

Dick sighed. 

"Bruce, we will let you rest." he said.

His father grabbed his hand and squeezed it a bit, before he got the chance to get up, as if he was reluctant to let him go. Dick took that as a request for a hug and embraced the man, careful not to hurt him, this time. "Don't give Alfred a hard time. God knows he needs to rest, too." Dick said after he let go of Bruce.

Dick and Jason returned to the young alpha's room, and as soon as they closed the door, Jason pulled Dick to his arms and held on tight. "I'm here, Dick. I'm sorry I wasn't before, but now I'm here. You can let yourself go if you want."

Dick also tightened his hold on Jason, and did as he was told. He let himself go. He let himself cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... should this be considered slow burn? I mean, most of the time they were away from each other, and they were pining for each other for a long time, right? I am really asking, because I'm not sure what is considered slow burn (as in, how many chapters/words before the main pairing gets together to be considered as such) and don't know if I should tag it or not. I, personally, don't feel the need to tag, but I understand some people might want to be warned about it.
> 
> Anyway, I'm really curious to know what are your feelings about this chapter!
> 
> Have a great day 💙💙💙


	20. Bruce - El Dynasty, Year 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Currently with a major headache +.+
> 
> Hope I didn't miss anything.

Arthur and Diana arrived just before their troops, to participate on the planning of their strategy, while hoping to take the enemy by surprise as much as they could. Of course you could not move armies around without getting noticed for long, even when they are coming through a neighbor allied kingdom.

Bruce then laid out his plans to the council and the other allies present at the war room. Their priority was to retake Gotham from Wilson. He believed that taking the Colonel down would make many of Luthor's allies reconsider their position. If they took him by surprise, they would also have better chances at defeating his soldiers with less bloodshed. They all agreed that Wilson was the key to win this war. They also understood when he mentioned that the Colonel was to be taken alive, unless there were to be no other choice. Bruce himself always avoided killing his opponents, but he could not demand that from the others, as much as he wished he could. But he knew that, in this case, they would do everything they could to avoid striking Wilson down. After that, they would turn their eyes to Metropolis. He did not expect too great of a resistance, by then.

***

"Wait, you want me to stay behind?" Dick asked.

"It's better this way. You will be safer." Bruce replied.

"You know I'm not completely useless, right? I may have not trained with Ra's al Ghul, but I'm still a good fighter. And a better gymnast than all of you put together. That should give me some points, right? Hell, I can even help you lure Slade out, or something."

"What? No fucking way! As if I will ever let the fucker lay his eyes on you ever again!" Jason said before Bruce himself could decline.

"Jason is right. That is too risky."

"What makes me so special that you can risk your lives and I can't? And don't you dare say it's because I'm an omega!"

"No, it's not because you are an omega, but because Slade will try everything to get you back. And we don't want to facilitate that, nor be distracted all the time, worried for you." 

Bruce could tell Dick was offended, but he did not come back at that.

"It's okay, Big Bird!" Jason cooed at Dick, while he put his hands on the omega's shoulders and then on his face. "We'll get the bastard, and I'll come back to you as soon as possible."

With that, Damian quickly put himself between his two eldests. "There is no need for you to hasten, Todd. Richard will not need you at all. I, myself, will see to his safety. In fact, you can go back to your band of misfits, and never come back."

Dick wrapped his arms around Damian. "Dami, don't say such things."

"But it is true!" the youngest continued, "He has been absent all this time, and we were all just fine. And as you can see, he clearly wants to leave again. Yes, he did save you, but he sure took his time, which made it too late. I just did not save you myself, because I was refused to do so." 

"Refused" was putting it mildly. Bruce had learned that they had to keep the boy locked up, until Dick got back, so he would not do something regrettable.

"Just shut it, demon spawn! Stop being jealous and trying to sabotage me." Jason snarled.

"Why would I be jealous of someone like you?"

"You are so freaking obvious, little punk!" 

"Why? Because I wish to protect Richard from imbeciles like you?"

"Damian! Jason! Please stop fighting and insult each other," Dick intervened, "It's becoming tiresome." 

He then turned to Bruce "I will stay."

"Thank you for understanding. Damian and Tim will-"

"I'm going with you!" Tim interjected. "I am clearly of more use on the field."

"Ugh!" Damian rolled his eyes, "You are so obvious, Drake."

"What?"

"You just want to find an excuse to be with your new boyfriend! But, by all means, do go. I wish you two elope."

Tim turned red while glaring at his younger brother.

"Who is he talking about, Tim?" Bruce asked. Depending on who his lover is, it could be troublesome for the kid. He renounced the claim of his county to his aunt, so he himself did not really need to worry about heirs. But if the other boy were to be of a primary gender, other than an omega, and the first in line to a succession, then they would have a problem. The same he had with Clark.

Tim kept silent.

"Tim!"

"It's, it's Conner," he whispered.

Bruce felt for his son. It had to be an El, did it not?

Jason whistled "Damn, kid! Couldn't you get someone that would cause less scandal?"

"Jay, don't be mean about this. You should understand we don't choose whom we fall for." Dick reminded him.

"Sorry, Dickie. You are right. But it's true that he's fucked."

"Jason, just let it be." Bruce reprimanded. "It is decided, then. Jason and Tim will come with me. Jason, you have your agents which have proven to be an excellent addition to our forces. And Tim, you are indeed someone I could use as a strategist."

"I can also fight," Tim reminded him, "and I don't have some enemy stalker with their eyes on me."

Bruce sighed. His children were so difficult. But he knew he could not complain when others would say the same about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They still underestimate Slade's devotion to Dick -_-


	21. Dick - El Dynasty, Year 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What happens here? Probably what you already expect.

A week had passed since the troops left. 

Dick was feeling restless and started having nightmares. He missed Jason, who had been the main reason for him to be able to stay whole, and not to break. 

Having Damian at his side, during almost all the time, did help him relax a bit, though. The boy's scent was starting to change. He still had at least two years before he was supposed to present, which meant he would turn out to be a Supreme Alpha like his father. Having a new alpha scent constantly present, when he was stressed like this, would be something to avoid, but since he shared a family bond with the kid, it had the opposite effect. It still wasn't enough.

Dick was trying to sleep, without much success, when he was startled with the commotion.

He understood they were being attacked, so he quickly dressed something that would allow him a good level of flexibility, and picked up his escrima sticks, that Alfred had brought back with him.

When he exited the room, he found two of the guards that were usually at his door, Daniel and Sonia, fighting the attackers, and clearly losing. Dick came to their aid, and whether it was due to his training or just the sudden adrenaline that rushed through him, he managed to knock down every single one of the five strangers. They did not wear any colors, so they were, most likely, mercenaries. He was getting extremely anxious after that thought, and tried to calm down by reminding himself that _he_ would be at Gotham. They could take out his soldiers just fine. Still, the feeling that Slade could have found his whereabouts was making him shiver.

"How did you do that!" The guards were still looking at him, as if in awe. "That was beautiful!"

Dick blushed a bit at that. He was always told his fighting style looked more like a dance. He was a performer, after all. One of his instructors would even reprimand him for the unnecessary peacocking, until the woman understood, first hand, how useful it was to distract the opponent and get the upper hand. 

Buuut, now was not the time for all that. He needed to do something about the attack.

"Where are you going, my Lord?" One of the guards asked.

"Help the others!"

"But we should be taking you to safety!"

"You can try to keep me safe, but no way I am going to hide when I can be of help."

With that he ran in the direction of the loud noises of battle. He then heard a familiar angry voice shouting. _Damian!_ He rushed to meet his little brother whose cry came from one of the main rooms. When he opened the doors and saw what was happening inside, his stomach dropped.

There were lot of dead bodies sprawled around the room with their blood painting the floor, walls and even the high ceiling. Some he recognized as allies, others he could conclude they were enemies. But no matter how horrifying that scene was in his eyes, it was not what made him freeze in terror.

In the center of the room, Slade was holding a -carefully- wriggling Damian, with a katana pressed against the boy's neck.

"Oh, there you are," Slade said, calmly, "I was wondering if I would have to go wake you up myself, my sleeping beauty."

"Let go of me, you ancient lunatic!" Damian yelled.

"What a loud baby alpha you have here, Dick. If I did not just see him slicing down half of my men by himself, I would've said he was more bark than bite."

"P-Please let him go, Slade." Dick begged him, in complete panic.

"Why should I?"

"I'll do whatever you want! J-Just let him go! Please!"

"No, Richard! Just leave this place at once!" Damian continued to shout.

"Please, stay quiet, Dami." Dick didn't want to end up making Slade angrier. No matter how composed the alpha looked, he could smell it in the air. He didn't know what was the cause of his anger, if the loss of his men, or the fact Dick escaped from him before, but he wanted to risk nothing.

"Is that a promise? Just like the one you made me before, that you would not run?" Slade pointed out. "Why should I believe it will be different, this time? And why should I spare such tiny but dangerous creature?" He then used his katana to make a shallow cut on Damian's neck.

Dick went mad at that.

"Listen carefully," he growled, "if you kill him, be assured you'll never be able to sleep at my side again without having to worry about not having your throat torn out. I will fucking kill you at the first chance I get!" 

"Oh-oh! Showing your fangs to protect your pup, just like a good mother. I applaud that! It means I can count on you to protect our future children."

"Yeah? If _you_ want children, then give me back _mine_!"

"Here you go then," Slade said. He seemed to be releasing Damian, but as soon as he let go, he quickly hit him in the back of his head with the hilt of his sword, rendering the boy unconscious.

Dick ran to him without hesitation, went down on his knees, and picked him up into his arms, trying to check for serious injuries. "Why did you do that?" he snarled.

"Are you joking? I was not going to leave the brat go free while conscious. Look at what he's done!" Slade pointed to all over the room, as if to say Damian was the major responsible for its now red color.

"My Lord!" Right, Daniel and Sonia had followed him.

"It's alright, soldiers! I'm sure that if you surrender, the Colonel will not add you to the room decoration. Right, _husband_?" Although the ceremony never went through, what truly bound them legally was the bite. The rest was just show, so they _were_ married, for all intents and purposes.

"Of course, my love. Anything for you." Slade mocked with a bow.

"With all due respect, Sir, we will not leave you at his mercy, so we can save our skins," Sonia said.

"With all due respect, soldier, I rather go with the Colonel, and you getting out alive, than go with the Colonel, with you two ending up dead."

The guards looked between themselves, and then decided to drop their swords.

"Lovely. Now, let's go home little bird." 

Slade signaled his soldiers who approached Dick and tried to take Damian away from his arms.

"Wha- what do you think you are doing?"

"Sorry, Dick. But I'm taking your pup to make sure I can keep you behaving, but I'm not letting you two be together and plotting to escape."

Dick showed his teeth to the soldiers.

"Now, darling, there is no need to be so defensive. I promise they will keep him safe. Let go of him, or I'll find a way to let you have him without me having to worry too much that you'll both flee. I don't know, I could break his legs, make sure the baby bird won't fly. What do you think?"

Of course, Dick let the mercs take Damian, after that threat. He knew Slade was very well capable of following it.

"Wise decision, honey", Slade smirked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess what? Slade got Dick again.
> 
> You probably already know that, besides Dick, I also adore Damian 💙💙💙
> 
> On a different note, I started writting another fic a while ago. It's another JayDick 💙  
> It's a bit different than this one, though XD And it will also be shorter, I believe.  
> I will start posting it when I have at least five chapters (I already wrote four!)


	22. Slade - El Dynasty, Year 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is implicit non-con in this chapter, so please be careful.

Slade saw the army that had marched to the East. Luthor would have no way of challenging it. He, himself, would have no way of winning against such force. Specially now, that he was away from Gotham, from his own troops. So much for a calm and retired life in this kingdom. 

He would have to go elsewhere, preferably overseas. The logistics would be a pain in the ass. But he had enough money to guarantee safe and discreet passage, and still have a good anonymous life in some small and lovely kingdom of Europa or Asias.

But first things first. He needed to get Rose, and do so quickly. Very few knew of his daughter's existence, but he wouldn't be surprised if the Grand Duke was one of them.

He told his agents to take the youngest Wayne to his hideout in the south-east border, and wait from him there, reminding them to keep all eyes on the boy, and as sedated as possible without killing him. 

He also sent word to Wintergreen to pack his bags and leave, since he had no intentions to return to Gotham. There would be no need for his old friend to risk his and his men's lives fighting to keep the county.

Dick wasn't happy with the decision of being separated from the kid, making himself hard to deal with, and demanding to know about his brother's safety. At first, Slade would remind the omega of what he could do to the boy, but later he learned that giving him some physical contact through affection worked better. Since they were bonded compatibles, Slade's pheromones would make Dick relaxed and compliant, while Dick's would make his possessive and protective side flare up. Specially after what he realized when he first held his omega in his arms, one night.

"You're with child!"

He felt Dick's body tense.

"What?"

"I can smell it on you," he said, "I noticed you had a slightly different scent before, but I believed it to be related to the place you were at. But now I'm sure. You _are_ with child. _My_ pup!"

Clearly his omega was learning the fact just then. There was a strange combination of happiness and distress in his scent to prove that.

"Shh, it's a good thing, no need to feel anxious about it. I will take good care of you. Both of you."

Slade was feeling euphoric. That night, he didn't let go of his mate, showing his beautiful bird how pleased his alpha was, and ignoring how important was the need to rest so they could continue their journey. 

He was going to have a child with his compatible Supreme Omega, so soon after they bonded, and without sharing a heat. It made him really proud. If they didn't waste too much time around the kingdom, it would even help them out of it, since Dick would not go into heat for the duration of the pregnancy, giving them a few more months before he got unable to travel.

Dick wasn't his first mate. He was once married to Adeline, an alpha woman, with whom he managed to have two children. They were all dead, now. He blamed his younger self's naivety and weakness. Things he no longer had.

This time, it would be different. He didn't get to bond with Rose's mother, so he was able to keep the child a secret. Dick and their pups would not go unnoticed, though. That was the reason he had already planned to retire from his mercenary services. This time, he'd make sure to have his family under his protection at all times.

***

"Daddy! You're back!" Rose squealed as she ran to his arms. He picked her up right away. He had missed his little munchkin a lot. He always did, after being away for a long time.

"Hello, young lady," he said, "have you been behaving yourself, since I last saw you?"

"Always, daddy! I'm always a good girl!" She said with a tentative serious face.

"You shouldn't lie." He pointed out, and the girl giggled at that.

"Who are you?" Only then she noticed Dick, who was somewhat stunned, probably at the unexpected the scene. She then gasped with excitement. "Are you my new mommy?"

"He's your new mommy, indeed, and soon you'll also have a little sister or brother." Slade let her down and she ran towards the omega.

"Hi, new mommy! I'm Rose and I'm seven!"

Dick squatted low enough to meet the girl's height. "Hello there, princess! It is nice to meet you!" He said with a bright smile.

"I'm not a princess. I'm just a Lady."

"Oh, my mistake, then, my Lady. I just thought you were so pretty, you had to be a princess."

Rose blushed and giggled even more. He knew his omega was a charmer. He only wished to be a target of that charm himself, one day.

"Rose, go pack your things. We are going on a long journey as soon as you are ready."

"For real?!" She squealed. She was overexcited since she never had traveled too far, and never with him.

"Yes, but we will only be able to do so, if we depart as soon as possible."

Next thing he knew, the girl had dragged Dick with her, with all the intents of showing her new mother her room. His husband seemed to be calm, and was showing to be very affectionate with his daughter. 

Slade smirked. Happy children were always a good way to pacify omegas. He started considering leaving the Wayne kid behind, believing he would have no need for him. Rose and the new pup would be enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rose here is a child not only for plot purposes, but also because of cuteness and fluff purposes 💙
> 
> I can't believe this is almost finished!


	23. Jason/Dick - El Dynasty, Year 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another double POV :D

**Jason**

By the time they arrived at Gotham, Luthor had already been informed of the approaching army, and had sent for every of his allies to come to his aid, at Metropolis.

At first, they believed that was the reason for having missed Slade. That was until they managed to capture Slade's right hand, a beta man called Wintergreen, along with other of his mercenaries. 

Wintergreen revealed to be very loyal to Slade, but the other alphas and betas? Not as much. After some time interrogating, they learned their boss had left the county _before_ Luthor had sent for him. They didn't know where to.

"Where did he go? Why did he left you in charge of Gotham?" they asked Wintergreen.

"Who knows? Maybe he did not find it so appealing, after the only beauty it had left him at the altar?"

That's about everything they got from the man. They didn't know if he was just trying to be evasive, or if he was actually implying that Slade's interest in Gotham was only about the Grand Duke's Supreme Omega ward. Many believed the former to be true, while others considered the latter. Jason? Well, he was having a terrible feeling about it all, and wanted nothing more than to be sure.

"I'm going back!"

"This could be a ruse to separate our forces, Jason. Slade's men might have been instructed to say he left when they said, and Wintergreen gave us nothing, only tried to taunt us." Bruce said.

"Well, consider me taunted," Jason replied right away, "I'll go alone, if needed, but I'm not risking leaving Dick by himself, when Slade might be onto him."

Bruce turned into is pensive expression. He knew the old man wasn't happy with the situation either. He knew he also didn't want to risk Dick's safety. "What about your agents?"

"Kory and Roy can handle them. The reason _I_ came was because I thought Slade would be here, and I wanted to make sure no one dared to kill him, " he paused, "and to kick his ass and cut off his balls."

"Jason, you are not cutting anything off," Jason rolled his eyes, "that is related to his alphahood. We don't know the effects it can have on the bond."

Jason was surprised. "Can I have his eyes, nose and tongue, then? Make sure he never gets to see, smell or taste anyone or anything ever again?"

"You'll only be able to get one eye, since the other he already lost."

There was a knock at the door. "Excuse me, my Lords," said a messenger, "a bird just arrived, addressed to you, Grand Duke Wayne."

He gave the parchment to Bruce and excused himself.

"It's from Cassandra."

"The new sis?"

Bruce read the letter and turned white first and then red with anger.

"'The fuck happened, Bruce?" Jason could already guess. He himself was starting to see red.

"Slade took Dick and Damian."

"FUCK!"

"Cassandra says she has reasons to believe Slade will try to flee the kingdom, and is now on his way, with Dick, to his county to get his daughter. Damian was sent with his men, to the south-east shore, but she's not sure exactly where, so she decided to follow them instead and await orders."

"Fuck, I fucking knew it! I shouldn't have left him there. Fuck!"

"You need to calm down, Jason, so we can decide what to do."

"Isn't it obvious? I'm gonna get Dick back!"

"Yes, but you should not go alone. Slade is very skillful and you might not be able to win against him."

"Yeah, so everyone keeps saying. But you know there aren't many people you can spare to help me." 

"And taking too many might tip him off," Bruce agreed, "Still, you should take some of your men with you."

"Right." Bruce was right. Just a few men might not be much of a difference, but it would be better than standing alone.

"Meanwhile, I'll send you any news I get from Cassandra. If you miss Slade, it is possible he will go to the location they are taking Damian."

"Do you think I should await them there?" Jason didn't want to wait, but if there were better chances of saving Dick that way, he would do it.

"No, we are not even sure he will try to leave through the same place, so it's better not to risk it. If you depart now, you might still make it. We are closer to his home than Detroit is, and I believe Dick will do anything to delay them."

"Okay then! I'll depart right now!"

"There is just one more thing I wanted to talk to you, before facing Slade." Bruce said.

"What is it?"

"It's about what you should do, in case Slade dies."

"I'm not going to kill him, Bruce. Nor will my men."

"I know, but sometimes accidents happen, and you better be prepared."

***

They rode as fast as they could. Faster even.

  
\---

**Dick**

"You can't be seriously thinking about leaving at nighttime with a seven year old, who barely have gone beyond this place's gates." he protested. They where in Slade's room, and the alpha was finishing packing his clothes, as well as what it seemed to be male omega clothes with a size too similar to Dick's. He frowned at that. 

Since he got caught by Slade, he had been trying to slow them down, so he could gain time for a possible rescue, as he hoped someone would warn the others. He'd refuse to keep the same pace as Slade, urging to go slower, he'd constantly nag about their accommodations for resting, and would demand more time to sleep. Slade quickly realized what he was doing and used the Damian card on him, to which Dick would start implying he had no way to know Damian was safe and not dead already. He stopped whining when the alpha told him that, if he wished, he'd ask his men to send him little pieces of his little brother, so he would know the boy lived. He wouldn't miss an ear or a toe too much, Slade would say.

Then the alpha told him about the pup. At first he felt tremendous joy and dread. The baby had to be Jason's. He had made sure, with Alfred's help, he would not get pregnant during those days at Gotham, and he feared Slade's reaction if he were to know the kid wasn't his. How he managed to get pregnant so quickly by an alpha that was not his mate, and out of his heat, he was not sure. But Slade believed the pup was his, and Dick did not feel the need to correct him. After that, they did not ride so fast, the alpha probably worried it could hurt the child.

"Every hour we waste here increases the chances someone comes for you," Slade said, "I know that is something you wish to happen, but I am not going to take risks."

"Really? Killing all the birds, and imprisoning the very few who survived your attack was not enough to prevent someone to contact the others?" He sure hoped not.

"Not. Going. To. Take. Risks."

Dick sighed. He believed that it would be extremely hard for anyone to find them, after they left Slade's lands. But he was not seeing what he could do to persuade the man to stay for longer.

"Daddy..." Rose knocked on the door as she opened it.

"Rose. First you knock, wait for permission, and then open the door and enter." Slade said.

"Sorry." She said as she lowered her head down.

"What is it that you want?"

"I'm sorry I took so long to get ready and it's already night." She did look she was feeling guilty.

"There is no problem, love, we can still go now."

"Now?" she looked at her father with an expression of slight horror, "But it's so late! And I'm so sleepy!"

"You can sleep while we are riding. I'll hold you, so you don't fall."

Did Slade really thought he could convince her with that? Dick had just met the girl and he already knew what was coming. There were tears threatening to fall through the girl's eyes as she became more alarmed. "Riding? We- we are not going in a carriage?" 

Slade huffed at that.

"You know, I shouldn't really be saying this but a carriage is better to conceal their occupants." Dick whispered to him, and winked at the girl, in an attempt to tell her he was trying to convince her dad to reconsider the terms of their journey. She then looked hopeful. "Two men and a child riding full speed towards the border? Kinda suspicious."

"My carriage has my crest and colors, we could never use that. To send for another without causing alarm, we would have to wait until tomorrow."

Slade looked at his daughter, and then at Dick who also tried his best to mimic the girl's pitiful expression. He then pulled Dick aside, so she would not hear them.

"Why are you so keen on waiting for tomorrow, to even make a good point about the secrecy we are trying to keep?" Slade narrowed his eyes.

"I'm just extremely tired," Dick lied. Ok, it was not a lie. He _was_ tired, but that was not the reason for wanting the delay. He just felt, deep down, he needed to hold them there for as long as he could. "I haven't slept in a proper bed since we left Detroit, and I am sore and sleep deprived. I'm not used to this, Slade. I've been living in a castle for more than ten years, where I have been pampered with comfort. I rarely traveled far, and it always by carriage, stopping only at fine establishments. The last few months I've felt nothing but stress, distress, and have been hiding and running. I'm exhausted! Sorry for asking for one damn night to rest." Wow, he never thought he would end up unloading those feelings on Slade.

"Alright," Slade said loudly so Rose could also hear, "We leave tomorrow morning. As early as the sun rises, not a second later. You both understand?"

Rose beamed and Dick let himself relax. "Yes!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just rambling here. I'm soooo sleepy at the moment and it's still mid afternoon. I'm a night owl and only stop feeling sleepy at night. Any other night owls around here, that share the same pain?
> 
> Once again, thank you all for all the comments, kudos, subscriptions, and bookmarks!  
> 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙


	24. Slade - El Dynasty, Year 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second to last chapter? (●'o'●)
> 
> After the "---" the POVs are mixed.
> 
> The "~~~" represent flashbacks.

Slade was not going to sleep that night. He was still astonished at how an omega and a child could convince him to take such risk. He was on high alert and ordered the few men he had with him to patrol the grounds around the mansion, and inform him of any suspicious activity. 

He watched as his beautiful omega slept in his bed. His body and mind had yearned so much for rest, the young man fell asleep almost instantaneously, not waking up when Slade gently kissed his head and left the room. 

"If you hear anything coming from this room, sound the alarm immediately, and enter it right away." He said to the guard at the door.

If there was one thing he knew about life, is that one could not let their guard down just because they are really close to achieve their goals. That is usually when everything goes wrong. Even when one is prepared, it may not be enough. Last time it happened, he had lost Dick. If he didn't have bond with him the night before, he could have lost him for real. He wouldn't put past the omega to bond himself with someone else just to take away Slade's chances of doing so.

But Dick was his now, and so is the pup, or pups, he carried.

He went to check on his daughter, acknowledging the guard at the door of her room. As soon as he started opening the door, he felt the soft cold breeze and slammed the rest of it ajar. _Rose!_ The window was slightly open, and the girl was not on her bed. 

He felt fury rising up his body. Slade barked the order to sound the alarm, running right straight to his bedroom. When he entered, the first thing he noticed was that Dick was still there, waking up with the commotion but looking like he could barely open his eyes. "M'what happen'?" the omega asked.

The window was closed, but he had the sensation something was not right, something was out of place. Were the curtains that open before? 

"Get up!" He ordered as he drew his sword.

"Slade?" Dick was then starting to look more aware.

"Someone is here, and they took Rose. Now, get up and come here!"

Dick got up, but did not approach Slade.

"Dick!" He warned. The kid looked conflicted. "Whoever it is, whatever it happens, do not forget I still hold your brother, and my men will kill him if they don't hear from me. So be a good boy, and do as I say."

That was when he saw the shadows move from the corner of his eye. He was impressed at how the man who came at him was able to hide so well from him. He was able to dodge a crossbow bolt just before it when through his leg. But he could not dodge the bulky figure that ran into him and dragged them out of the room, onto the railing on the opposite end. He quickly noticed the dead guard at the door. The lights had all been put out, the only light in the house being the faint moonlight the large windows let pass. Who the fuck were these guys? Clearly, the ones who took Dick during the ceremony, but _who_ exactly where they?

"You are good, I must admit. But are you good enough to defeat me?" Slade asked. "You see, I have the advantage here. I have yet come to meet anyone stronger than me, and you are not even fighting to kill. But I can tell you, I will not be returning the courtesy."

"Who said I'm not going to kill you?" The man in the red hood and mask asked.

"Well, you are here to get Richard. I know you are the same ones that took him before. So, why else would you give yourself the trouble of following me, when I'm not a threat to your reconquering any longer? You came for _my_ mate and if you were to kill me, you'd be risking his life."

"He's a strong and healthy omega in his prime. They usually survive the breaking of a bond, specially if their alpha is an old man like you." 

Slade was under no illusion he was young, but he was far from being as old as the red hooded guy implied.

"Listen, _kid_ , your beloved Richard is carrying my pup," he paused enough to see the tensing of the other man's body, and smirked, "everyone knows it is a high risk for an omega to lose their mate while carrying their child. Most of the times, both omega and child die. So, do you still want to risk it?"

The man then attacked him ferociously, but he dodged him easily. As skilled as the kid was, it seemed he could not control his emotions, and that would be his downfall. Or so Slade thought. The red hood apparently was a master of shadows, and with the house depleted of artificial lighting, the kid would be constantly vanishing, trying to gain the upper hand. 

"Not bad! Did you perhaps trained with the League of Assassins, kid?"

There was no reply. He had no idea were his opponent was.   
But then he heard a noise coming from downstairs. He started descending the stairs to the main hall when he tensed for a moment, reminding himself the kid probably had others with him, the ones who probably took Rose. Noticing Dick's head popping through the doorway of their bedroom, Slade relaxed just the bit.

"Is hiding all you learned while you were there?"

He dodged yet another crossbow bolt and slammed his fist to the hood's head, who fell onto the floor. "You insult me, kid. Repeating your moves like that." He picked him up by the fabric at the man's chest and punched him again. "You really thought a baby like you could defeat me? Did the Grand Duke send you, believing you would be enough?" He scoffed. "And here I thought I had earned more respect than that!"

He then felt the sharp pain at his calf. "Fuck!" 

This time the bolt hit him, and he saw another man with a red hood coming from behind him. "You thought wrong!"

"That was cowardly clever of you, I must admit," he smirked. He could still fight and win this. He had had way worse. "Any more hoods around?"

"When it comes to making sure Dick is safe, I will fight dirty any time. So, I'm sorry if I'm not telling you if there are more of me, or not."

"Close to my mate, are you? An old friend?"

"Oh, I'm way more than that, old man."

Slade chuckled. "You can try to taunt me all you want, _boy_ , but don't think you will get out of this alive." In a swift move, he threw with all his strength the katana he was holding towards the kid, who was taken by surprise and let out a short shout of pain when the sword pierced his left shoulder. 

"Jay!" He heard Dick shriek.

Slade drew his other katana out and attacked. The kid barely managed to dodge the slash across his chest, which still drew blood, and fell.

"I'm sorry kid. You had potential, that's true. But I am not going to let you ruin more of my plans, after so long." He approached "Jay", to give him the final blow. "I haven't killed a Queen and started a war to get what belongs to me, so a brat like you could come and ruin everything."

"Please, let him be. He's down, he can't fight anymore." Dick begged as he went down the stairs. He believed he knew who this kid were, now. He remembered learning about a boy named Jason, who stayed at the Wayne's as a ward for two or three years, but had disappeared and was presumed to be dead. So this was probably another one of Dick's brothers. He would not let this one live, though.

"Where is my daughter?"

"Fuck you!"

"Very well, I still have the fake hood over there, who can tell me." 

He lifted his sword. 

But he couldn't slice down. His arm was paralyzed. He looked down, and saw the blood bursting from his chest. _No!_ He coughed some blood, as he turned to see Dick holding the crossbow of the fake hood, tears running down his face. 

"Little bird?" He wasn't sure he was able to say it properly. He was still in shock.

"I'm sorry!" Dick cried.

How could he? How could his mate, so protective of the pups that weren't even his, actually risk killing his own? Unless... 

He felt his body fall, along with his consciousness.

\---

As Slade hit the floor, not breathing anymore, Jason was startled as if awakening from a daze. When he saw Dick, he could see his wide eyes in shock, their blue almost glowing from where the moonlight lit his face. "Dick!" He got up, forgetting the pain at his chest and shoulder and went to him.

"How are you feeling? Are you OK? Talk to me!"

"I-I killed him! ...I just wanted to stop him," he was breathing really fast, "b-but I couldn't aim it right... it's dark... and he was just... just about to kill you... I couldn't-"

"It's okay, Dickie! Breathe slowly!"

He had to calm the omega down. The effects of Slade's death were sure to happen at any moment, them being so close. "I need you to calm down, Dick. You have to relax, you are safe now."

"Damian?"

"Cassandra followed him. Bruce gave her the order to help him, if she could. When I arrived here, I got news she succeeded. He's safe!"

Dick let out a loud sigh of relief.

"Rose?"

"She is with us. She's safe too."

Dick gave Jason a sad smile. "How am I going to tell her I killed her father? She loves him so much!"

"You don't have to tell her anything, Big Bird. Not now. Don't think about it. You should lie yourself down in a bed, I brought a doctor with me. She might help when the grieving hits you. If Slade was telling the truth about the child then-"

"Jay," Dick interjected, "don't worry, it's not-" He then felt the sudden pain at his chest and the burning sensation on his neck.

"Dick!" _Fuck!_ "Doctor!" Jason screamed.

He was trying not to panic himself. He then remembered the conversation with Bruce.

~~~

"There is just one more thing I wanted to talk to you, before facing Slade." Bruce said.

"What is it?"

"It's about what you should do, in case Slade dies."

"I'm not going to kill him, Bruce. Nor will my men."

"I know, but sometimes accidents happen, and you better be prepared."

"Okay, so what to do, if Slade does die?"

"If you see Dick is having a strong reaction, you should bite him."

"What?"

"I have good reasons to believe it might help."

"I cannot bite him without his permission!"

"At that point, it will be his permission or his life."

~~~

_Fuck!_ He hoped Bruce was right.

"Hang in there Dickie!" he said. 

He didn't know if Dick could hear him. The omega seemed to be in great pain, one hand at his chest, one at his neck, where Slade's bite was. He also looked like he was trying his hardest not to scream.

Jason forced Dick's hand off his neck, and saw the bite mark burning red, even under the dim light of the moon. 

_Fuck, this better work!_ he was feeling tears rolling down on his face.

"I'm sorry for this, Dick. But I have to try," he said before he bit him.

~~~

"We have been making some efforts to try to understand alpha-omegan biology. Specially the omegan biology, since it is the one with less scientific studies performed to date." 

Bruce always would explain his reasoning for this kind of stuff. He would not want to let you believe things happened magically. 

"Currently there is the hypothesis that the grieving process is the same as a strong drug withdrawal, for some of the symptoms are similar."

"Bonding makes you addicted?" Jason asked.

"In a certain way, we believe so. When the alpha bites the omega, there is some hormone exchange, which change both their bodies, in a way, to create the link. That link is what keeps the harmony between the couple. When one is severed so suddenly then that harmony is broken and the body craves for it to be returned. That is why people whose partners died from old age, or from some disease that took some time to claim their lives, will not suffer as much. The link would be weakening itself over time and the body would get time to adjust."

"That kind of makes sense, though I do not understand yet how this 'link' thing works. How does it know the other is alive or not."

"That is something we cannot explain yet."

"How was it with you? When Talia died?"

"Talia got herself fatally injured, but she still held on for some days. I believe that helped me to not have a strong reaction, when she did pass away. The fact she was an omega, with me being a Supreme Alpha, might also have helped. Another of the reasons is something that I hope it will also help Dick, if he goes through the grieving process."

"Which is?"

"I didn't really have a strong bond with Talia. Our marriage was political, and there was no real feelings between us. At least from my part. You and Dick are a different story. You already have a bond, bite or no bite. Just like I have one with you, Dick, Tim and Damian. What we call a family or friendship bond. It hasn't been proven to actually exist as a real bond, but it has been proven that strong feelings do have an impact on one's body."

"How?"

"Well, for starters, you and Dick. When you came to my room the other day, Slade's scent on Dick had been as if completely overshadowed, as if his body had accepted you as his alpha. That should not have been possible. Specially since Dick's alpha was compatible with him. But if you think about it, Dick abhors Slade, but loves you dearly."

"Then that's why you think that me biting him will help?"

"Yes. I believe there is already a bond between you two. If the one Dick has with Slade breaks, biting him may give his body a new link to hold on, one that is not that foreign and therefore easier to accept."

"And that is just a theory. Something you have no real proof of."

"Exactly. It may not work."

"Could it have an opposite effect? Could it make it worse."

"I doubt it, but it is possible. That is why you should only do it if he starts having a strong reaction. If he loses control of his body to pain, then it is most certain he will die whether your bite makes it worse or you don't bite him at all."

~~~

He couldn't believe it. 

The moment he bit Dick's neck on the same spot where Slade's bite was he was immediately overwhelmed. The taste of the few drops of blood that ran down his throat made his insides burn, and it was as if his mind was transported out of his body. He then felt the omega in his arms relax, feeling the small body calmly moving with his breathing. He stopped biting and gently licked the wound he left clean, until it stopped bleeding. 

"Dickie?"

"Hmmm," was the omega's reply. 

Jason lifted Dick's face with both his hands. He seemed drowsy.

"Are you okay?"

"I think so. I'm sleepy."

"Please try to stay awake! I don't know if you should be feeling sleepy." Jason said, a bit nervous.

"It's okay," he heard a voice say. He then noticed the doctor had been there, probably for a while. "He doesn't seem to be going through the grieving process anymore. The fact he feels relaxed and sleepy is a good sign. He also doesn't smell sick or depressed. This is so interesting!"

With that Dick let his head lean onto Jason's chest, closing his eyes, wanting to fall asleep then and there.

He felt Jason's hand stroking his head. "Okay, then, sleep if you want." Then he felt his alpha scenting him.

Jason could then understand why Slade was so certain Dick was with child. It was faint, he couldn't feel it from afar, but it was unmistakable even though he never had scented a pregnant omega before.

"It's not his, Jay," he hear Dick say. That was enough for him to understand.

He started chuckling at the same time a new round of tears came out of his eyes. The meaning of those words were overwhelming for many reasons. He kissed his omega's head and lifted him up, ignoring the pain at his shoulder, so he could carry him to a bed so he could have a well deserved rest.

Jason brought Dick to one of the guest rooms. No way in hell he would let the omega sleep surrounded by Slade's scent. He laid Dick gently on the bed, careful to not to wake him, and he followed after that, resting by his side, and wrapping his arms around him. Dick quickly curled around Jason, without waking up. That made Jason smile. He kissed his mate's head and let himself sleep. 

The war was almost over. He had also received news from Bruce that most Lords were surrendering, after they took Gotham and Slade was nowhere to be found. They were safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if it was obvious the events would turn out to be like this or not, but I still hope you enjoyed.
> 
> Next chapter will be the epilogue. *.*  
> It's almost done! 
> 
> "Bruce always would explain his reasoning for this kind of stuff. He would not want to let you believe things happened magically." - I learned I like to make up scientific stuff to attempt to explain other stuff that doesn't seem too scientific. I hope it makes sense 😅
> 
> 💙💙💙


	25. El Dynasty, Year 48

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've started this story, after convincing myself it would be okay even if it ended up not that good, and that I would be happy even if I were to get just one kudo or one positive comment. I did not expect this would have the attention it had, and I am extremely happy for it, as well as motivated to write more. If you are also someone who wants to write something you like, but you don't believe you can do it, just try :) the worst it can happen is you get to have a story you would like to read, yourself.

Peace was finally back at the kingdom, with Clark at its throne.

After hearing about Slade's death, together with the knowledge of the full force of the King's army lead by a very alive King, most insurgent leaders turned themselves in, and Luthor's crowning was deemed unlawful and was thus void.

This time, Clark followed Bruce's advice and was harsher with his punishment of the Lords that went against him. But still, not as harsh as many would have been. They were all stripped down of their ranks, and given the choice of being sentenced by the King himself or the people their counties, who they were supposed to serve. Most chose the Kings judgment, believing, correctly, they would not face execution. They were sentenced to spend several years imprisoned, depending on the severity of their betrayal. They would be allowed few hours a day to spend helping people in need. Bruce believed it would help them see the true consequences of their actions, not only the ones they did during the war, but also the decisions they made along their lives, and hopefully gain some empathy. Luthor had chosen to be kept imprisoned all day, not wishing to partake in any kind of community services. He would forever be bitter, and did not even believe when he was told Slade was Lois' real murderer. 

Some counties were then without a Lord or Lady. If the children of the previous rulers where of age and had been clearly against the actions of their parents, they were given the choice to take their role. Such was the case of Lady Stephanie Brown. To the children that were still not of age, it was assigned someone to rule until they could take the responsibility. For the rest, there was a sort of popular vote, where the people of the county were to elect who should be their Lord, providing the reasons they had in favor of the person they wished to elect. The King would then evaluate if the chosen person was suitable for the position. With this strategy, they were able to have a good reason to test the pros and cons of having elected Lords and Ladies, instead of inherited titles, without having to worry too much about displeased noble allies.

Clark also made his first attempt at changing the laws around couples that could conceive, due to their genders. It was a big step, as he made it legal. Sure, Lords and Ladies who wanted to keep their counties in the family, still needed to have heirs, who still had to be biological children. Many were displeased, and made themselves vocal about it, but when they saw it would not affect their ruling, they reluctantly started to accept the idea.

***

Dick and Jason were now happily bonded with two pups on the way, according to doctor Leslie Thompkins. They were excited when she told them she could hear two heartbeats, indicating they would have twins. Dick was still shook by everything that happened with Slade, and he probably would not completely recover anytime soon. But Jason insisted on being at his side, making sure to give his mate something to hold on to, to remind him he was safe.

They had adopted Rose. Dick already adored the girl and could not bear the thought of leaving her as an orphan, specially since he saw her predicament as his fault. They did not tell her all the truth about her father then. She was still too young to understand. They knew they would have to do so, eventually. Not only she deserved to know, but she would definitely find out about it, sooner or later.

Cassandra was officially adopted by Bruce, as previously planned, becoming his children's new sister. Little by little, she became more sociable and talkative, although she was still considered a girl of few words.

Duke was able to find his parents, who were safe and sound, and he joined a group similar to Jason's outlaws, doing everything he could to help those who were still recovering from the war.

Conner requested the King to renounce his noble ranking, keeping only his military one. With that he was able to be with Tim, though they still tried to keep secrecy about their relationship, to the general public. They believed it was too soon, after the new law, and that that could be seen as if the law had been made to accommodate them. It was far from ideal, but they still managed to be happy.

Damian's primary gender was becoming more and more evident every day. He was going to be a Supreme Alpha. But there was no great surprise there. No one was betting on him being otherwise. The surprise came when the faint sweet scent could be sensed coming out of Jon, the King's son. He did have a Supreme Omega for a mother, which increased the chances of being one, but it was still unexpected. Damian's protectiveness over the boy also grew everyday, along with some hints of awkwardness. Dick found it extremely adorable. The kid seemed to be finally learning how not to be rude around someone besides his father and his older brother. Even if it was just one person.

Bruce and Clark started taking some risks and rekindled their relationship. Still kept as much secrecy as they could, though they did eventually talk with their children about them being together. How it came to be, how it ended when Bruce bonded with Talia, and how only very recently it started again. Dick, Jason, Tim and Cassandra understood and accepted it very well, with Jason teasing them just a bit. But they were not whom Bruce and Clark were really concerned about. They talked with Damian and Jon separately. Damian made himself a bit difficult, otherwise he would not be Damian, but ended up accepting it, with some threats thrown to the King's direction. Not many, though. Jon was there and he did not want the kid to believe he actually meant harm to his father. Jon took it pretty well, to their surprise. They could see the boy was still a little confused, but he said he was happy his father was happy. 

Things were then settling themselves. Their lives were far from perfect. Still, they felt they have achieved something, and were well motivated to try for more.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! Thank you so much for your amazing feedback and support. It inspired and motivated me a lot to continue writing. 
> 
> I know it's the end but I will always appreciate your feedback for this story, even if it is about something you don't think makes much sense, something I forgot to mention or any inconsistencies. I may or not change/add them, depending if it implies changing the story a lot or not, but it will still help me to pay more attention for other works :)
> 
> Like I mentioned before, I'm working on another Jaydick story that I'm hoping to start posting very soon.
> 
> I may also work on stories for other fandoms, but right now, I'll probably stick to stories related to the both characters referenced in my username (Tony Stark and Dick Grayson).
> 
> Thank you all for everything! I really hope you enjoyed the story!   
> 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙


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